Driver With A Previous DUI Record Caused A Fatal Multi-Car Pile Up

In California, a person with a previous DUI conviction has typically been warned of the consequences of future DUIs. One of these consequences is being charged with murder. A second-degree murder charge means that there was no intent to kill anyone, but that someone should have been aware that their actions could have led to the death of another person. Even DUIs in other states can count towards the Watson rule, so if a person has had a DUI in another state before moving or traveling through California, they can still be charged with murder. 

The Temecula Patch reports that a suspect in a deadly crash must stand trial. 

On Friday, a judge ruled that a man accused of driving under the influence of drugs and causing a fatal multi-vehicle wreck on Interstate 15 must stand trial for murder. 

27-year-old Javier Caldera was placed under arrest last June after a pileup that he allegedly caused. 

Caldera had been driving a Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck and was going at a speed of over 100 m.p.h. when he slammed into the back of a Nissan Altima. Janet Genao, 44, was killed. She was driving the Nissan. 

The chain-reaction crash involved four other vehicles. The force of the accident sent a Chevrolet S10 pickup truck off the road and into the side of the Temecula City Hall parking structure. The driver of that truck suffered from major injuries. 

Two other motorists were injured in the pileup. 

Caldera also suffered from minor injuries. Caldera has prior convictions for driving under the influence and felony attempt to elude law enforcement in Washington state. 

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