The suspect in the Pacific Coast Highway crash in Malibu pleads not guilty to murder charges over the deaths of four Pepperdine University sorority sisters.
Prosecutors in the case argued that the suspect, identified as 22-year-old Fraser Bohm, was going at over 100 miles per hour during the incident. The Wednesday plea was in response to four counts each of malice murder and vehicular manslaughter.
Malibu Crash Suspect Pleads Not Guilty to Murder Charges
The victims of the crash were identified as Niamh Rolston, Peyton Stewart, Asha Weir, and Deslyn Williams. The prosecutor told Judge Diego Edber that Bohm was allegedly speeding at 104 miles per hour in a 45-mile-per-hour zone on the stretch of the freeway that was known as "Dead Man's Curve." The area was notorious because of the high number of fatal accidents that occurred there.
During an interview with detectives following the crash, the suspect allegedly admitted that he might have been texting when he struck the sorority sisters. Prosecutor Bathan Bartos said in Los Angeles Superior Court that the suspect knew the neighborhood had a high concentration of homes and businesses, as per Fox News.
Bartos said that despite this knowledge, the suspect disregarded the risks when he flew down the freeway at more than twice the speed limit. On the other hand, Bohm's attorney, Michael Kraut, said that his client was texting at a stop sign when another driver started yelling at him.
Bohm argued that he accelerated to escape the irate driver who ultimately caused him to veer off the road. Kraut said that they identified that driver but claimed that investigators were not interested in him.
The attorney noted that the case was rushed without getting all of the facts as he spoke with Bohm behind a door deliberately standing out of the view of news cameras. He insisted that his client was only going 70 miles per hour at the point of impact.
The charges against Bohm were announced by District Attorney George Gascon on Wednesday afternoon. He said that the investigation had revealed that Bohm knew his actions were dangerous to human life but still acted with conscious disregard for human life, according to CBS News.
Bohm's Initial Arrest
Deputies initially arrested the suspect on the same night that he crashed on suspicion of gross vehicular manslaughter. However, they released him due to insufficient evidence. Department officials revealed that they diligently worked to gather enough evidence to file the maximum charges permitted under California state law.
After a week, deputies once again placed Bohm under official custody and booked him for four counts of murder. The tragic crash that occurred on Oct. 17 has renewed a push to implement new safety measures along the Pacific Coast Highway.
During Bohm's initial arrest, he was seen being given a sobriety test as he came out of his BMW unscathed despite the high-speed crash. The suspect was a star baseball player at Oaks Christian School.
He is from a wealthy family who owns an $8.7 million Malibu estate with sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean near the site of the crash. It remains unclear what Bohm has been doing since graduating from High School, said Fox News.
