Many DUI drivers are caught by police officers before they can get into an accident. Unfortunately, according to the CDC, each day 29 people are killed in motor vehicle accidents that involve alcohol.
When it comes to a DUI that claims the life of another person, California treats those charges very seriously. If the driver has no previous DUI convictions, they will likely face charges of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated.
For drivers with a previous DUI conviction, they can be charged with second-degree murder. This is known in California as Watson murder or DUI murder. The penalty is 15 years to life in state prison for each count for which a driver is convicted.
CBS Local San Francisco reports that murder charges have been filed in an alleged DUI accident that claimed four lives.
The accident occurred at about 10:15 p.m. last Wednesday on southbound Highway 85 just south of Cattle Road.
26-year-old Rabbi Kumar Khanna was driving a Dodge Durango registered to a family member at speeds of near 100 m.p.h. and was seen swerving in the moments before the crash. The details of the crash were not available.
Four people were killed in the crash. They have been identified as 26-year-old Amanda Landa, 26-year-old Johnnie Perez Damian, 25-year-old Isaac Landa, and 25-year-old Shannan Galbraith.
Khanna and another passenger suffered from minor injuries in the accident. Khanna’s blood-alcohol tests revealed levels of .206 and .165.
Khanna’s license was suspended due to a December 2018 DUI conviction. He was arraigned on four counts of murder and driving under the influence. He is currently being held on no bail.
Khanna is scheduled to return to court on July 13th.
