My News LA reported recently that according to a ruling from a judge, a man who allegedly caused a motor vehicle accident in Palm Springs three years ago while drunk must stand trial for multiple felony charges connected to the accident.
According to officials from the Riverside County Superior Court, after the defendant, a Murrieta man 36 years of age, declined to challenge the government’s evidence at a preliminary hearing held Tuesday, February 2 at the Larson Justice Center in Indio, the judge presiding over the hearing ruled there was sufficient evidence to warrant a trial for the man on the count of second-degree murder, as well as two felony counts of driving under the influence resulting in injuries.
The defendant then re-entered his pleas of not guilty to the charges. He remains in custody at the Southwest Detention Center in Murrieta in lieu of a bail of one million dollars and is scheduled to be in court again on March 8 for a trial-readiness conference.
According to court records, the accident occurred March 16, 2018 along Ramon Road in Palm Springs and killed a Palm Springs man. Due to the defendant’s previous convictions for DUI, the defendant faces charges of murder instead of vehicular manslaughter.
