A 22-year-old Malibu resident could face life in prison after he struck and killed four Pepperdine University seniors walking along the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) last week.
Niamh Rolston, Peyton Stewart, Asha Weir and Deslyn Williams died on October 17 after they were struck by a vehicle in the 21600 block of the PCH.
Rolston was 20 years old. The other three women were 21.
The driver, Fraser Michael Bohm, was initially arrested on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence. The L.A. County Sheriff’s Department released him after failing to provide sufficient evidence.
This week, Bohm was rearrested and charged with four counts of murder and four counts of vehicular manslaughter.
L.A. County District Attorney George Gascón announced the charges Wednesday. He said the driver’s speed and “reckless disregard for the safety of others” prompted the murder charges.
Gascón said Bohm was allegedly speeding at 104 miles per hour in a 45-mile-per-hour zone when he lost control of his vehicle and crashed into a parked car before colliding with the four students.
“The investigation revealed that the defendant knew his actions were dangerous to human life and deliberately acted with conscious disregard for human life, committing four counts of implied malice murder,” Gascón said at a news conference Wednesday afternoon.
“We have to realize that when we’re driving a car, we have the potential of killing others. When we’re driving 100 plus miles per hour in a 45-mile-per-hour zone, the only reasonable conclusion that could arrive out of the behavior is harming others — and the worst case scenario, which happened here, is killing others.”
Bohm pled not guilty to all charges in an arraignment Wednesday. His bail was previously set at $8 million but was reduced to $4 million.
Bohm’s attorney Michael Kraut claims his client was being chased following a road rage incident. Officials from the district attorney’s office and sheriff’s department said at the news conference there is no current evidence showing that there was another vehicle involved in the incident.
“The arrest warrant had already been issued by the time Mr. Kraut emailed it to the DA, who reviewed the case for charging,” Head Deputy District Attorney John Harlan said during the conference. “It was not with any names of any witnesses. It was just a claim.”
If convicted as charged, Bohm could face multiple life sentences. Investigators could not answer many specific questions during the news conference about evidence and current findings due to the ongoing investigation.
The crash happened on a stretch of road described by locals as “Dead Man’s Curve.” On Monday, Malibu residents gathered at a city council meeting to call for increased safety measures on PCH — which has already seen a number of vehicular collisions and deaths.
The 20 miles of the highway stretch from Santa Monica to the Ventura County line has claimed about 40 lives since 2020 in other car crashes.
Michel Shane, a film producer, is set to publicly release a documentary titled “21 Miles in Malibu” later this year. The documentary explores the trend of deaths and the lack of safety regulations on PCH.
Shane’s daughter Emily was also killed while walking along the highway in 2010, which prompted the documentary’s creation.
“When Emily died in 2010, she was the youngest person to die on PCH in probably 20 years,” Shane told Annenberg Media on Tuesday. “And we’re now in 2023, and there’s been no real change to the highway.”
Almost 5,000 people have signed a petition Shane started that’s calling for safety improvements and educational initiatives on the PCH.
Pepperdine held a memorial service for the four students last Thursday and created a memorial fund in their names.
“To the students who loved, lived with, and were in community with the departed members of our Pepperdine family, my heart is broken with yours,” University President Jim Gash said in a statement released last week. “I join you in your grief as we process this profound loss.”
Any witnesses are encouraged to contact the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department Lost Hills station and speak to detectives. An anonymous tip line is available at 1-800-222-8477.