Malibu crash: Hearing continues for driver accused of killing 4 Pepperdine students on PCH

LOS ANGELES - A hearing began Monday in which a judge will be asked to determine if there is enough evidence to require a young man to stand trial on murder and vehicular manslaughter charges for allegedly speeding when he crashed into parked vehicles on Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu in 2023 -- killing four Pepperdine University sorority sisters.

What we know:

Fraser Michael Bohm, now 23, of Malibu, is due back in a Van Nuys courtroom Tuesday in connection with the case charging him with four counts each of murder and vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence in the Oct. 17, 2023, nighttime crash that killed Niamh Rolston, 20; Peyton Stewart, 21; Asha Weir, 21; and Deslyn Williams, 21.

All four women were seniors at Pepperdine's Seaver College of Liberal Arts and members of the Alpha Phi sorority. They were set to graduate with Pepperdine's class of 2024, and subsequently received their degrees posthumously.

Asha Weir, Deslyn Williams, Niamh Rolston and Peyton Stewart.

The four were strolling along PCH, headed for an evening event, when the tragedy occurred.

PREVIOUS:

• Malibu crash: 4 Pepperdine students killed on PCH identified
• Malibu crash: Families of 4 Pepperdine students killed on PCH files lawsuit
• Pepperdine establishes scholarship in honor of 4 students killed in PCH crash

Bohm, who was initially arrested and then freed from jail and then re- arrested, has been free on bail that was posted shortly after the case was filed against him.

In what is expected to be a multi-day hearing before Superior Court Judge Diego H. Edber, prosecution witness Miguel Cruchinho testified that he was driving too far behind to see the collision, but said he rushed to Bohm's BMW when he came upon the collision scene.

Cruchinho said he saw the vehicle's front door was open, telling the judge that he yelled at the man, "What are you doing?"'

The prosecution witness testified that Bohm responded, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry." He noted that he was trying to get the young man to sit down because he "didn't know if he was going to try to run."

The witness acknowledged on cross-examination by defense attorney Michael Kraut that another driver who helped to make sure that Bohm remained at the scene was upset and yelled at him.

Bohm's attorney has contended that his client was the victim in a road-rage incident and was being chased and then forced off the road, leading to the fatal crash.

Kraut has also disputed former Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón's contention that Bohm was driving a BMW that was traveling at 104 mph in a 45 mph zone.

Bohm's lawyer said soon after the charges were filed that the maximum speed at the time of impact was 70 mph based on witness statements, his client's statement and the black box inside the BMW.

Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Sgt. Jim Arens told reporters at the time there was "no evidence" the crash stemmed from an alleged road- rage incident.

Sheriff's officials said Bohm swerved onto the north shoulder of westbound PCH and slammed into at least three vehicles parked alongside on the roadway. Those parked vehicles struck the four Pepperdine students, leaving them dead at the scene, according to the sheriff's department.

That section of PCH -- a short stretch between Las Flores Canyon and Carbon Canyon roads -- is known as "Dead Man's Curve" and reportedly has seen the highest number of auto accidents on the overall 21-mile coastal road.

The tragedy prompted numerous calls to remedy the dangers and minimize speeds along that section of PCH. No safeguards were in place for pedestrians at the crash scene, even though the city has known about the dangers for decades, lawyers for the students' parents say.

On the one-year anniversary of the tragedy, Malibu city officials discussed at a news conference initiatives to improve safety along PCH, including new legislation authorizing speed cameras at five critical locations and increased enforcement efforts, including the creation of a Malibu CHP Task Force and collaborative operations with the sheriff's department.

There also are moves underway to redesign PCH. According to the city of Malibu, the long-term plan will "transform PCH from a high-speed highway into a safer, community-focused corridor, providing safe access for all users, including pedestrians, cyclists and drivers."

Last year, Pepperdine announced a scholarship in honor of victims -- the "Our Four Angels Endowed Scholarship."

The case has also prompted lawsuits.

The parents of the four students are suing the state, Caltrans, the California Coastal Commission, Los Angeles County and Malibu.

The separately filed Santa Monica Superior Court lawsuits contend that all of those entities share liability for the allegedly dangerous roadway design on that portion of PCH, and for not implementing life-saving safety measures.

A sheriff's captain reported that, from 2013-23, there were 53 deaths and 92 serious injuries in the area, and that attempts to improve conditions through law enforcement have had minimal or temporary results, according to the suits.