A man is facing multiple felony charges following a car crash that caused in the deaths of two female pedestrians. He has pleaded not guilty in a Salinas court, as reported by KTVU Channel 2 News.
F.M. Jr., 23, admitted to being under the influence of marijuana prior to the accident, according to the prosecution. He also has two prior DUI convictions from 2013.
According to Chief Assistant District Attorney Terry Spitz, F.M. Jr. entered his plea in the Monterey County Superior Court in Salinas. He was aided by a public defender.
The accident occurred on November 20, 2013, and resulted in the deaths of C.L. and L.W. The two women had been struck while on foot on East Laurel Drive just west of Constitution Boulevard in Salinas.
Spitz said that F.M. Jr. had been charged with several crimes – all felonies – including two counts of murder, two counts of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, one count of driving under the influence causing injury or death and hit and run resulting in injury or death.
There may be a special enhancement added to the gross vehicular manslaughter counts and DUI causing injury or death count because F.M. Jr. had two prior DUI convictions, and because he is accused of killing more than one person.
There is one misdemeanor charge against F.M. Jr. – he drove with a suspended license.
If found guilty, F.M. Jr. could spend up to 34 years behind bars on the felony charges alone. On the misdemeanor charge of driving without a proper license, if convicted, he would face over six months in a county jail.
The district attorney's office has yet to announce the next hearing date.
At 7 p.m. on November 20 C.L., 57, had just been released from the emergency room at the Natividad Medical Center on Constitution Boulevard. L.W., who worked as a security guard at the hospital, noted that C.L. had left her backpack behind so she caught up with her to return it.
C.L., after a failed attempt to get a ride from a passing car, had fallen to the ground. While L.W. tried to help her up F.M. Jr.'s Ford Taurus struck them both. The Taurus was travelling at approximately 45 mph at the time of the collision.
L.W. was pushed for 45 feet before F.M. Jr. drove over her as he fled the scene. Both women were pronounced dead at the Natividad Medical Center shortly afterwards.
Responding officers contacted F.M. Jr.'s mother and she was able to convince him to return to the scene. He was later arrested at the collision site. Officers noted that both the vehicle and F.M. Jr. smelled of marijuana, and he admitted to smoking the drug before the accident.
According to the police, the judge in F.M. Jr.'s earlier DUI convictions warned him that if he continued to drive while under the influence, and caused a death, he would be charged with murder.
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