Fraser Bohm Faces 4 Murder Counts in 104 mph Malibu Crash That Killed 4 Pepperdine Seniors
Updated
Updated · USA TODAY · Sep 3
Fraser Bohm Faces 4 Murder Counts in 104 mph Malibu Crash That Killed 4 Pepperdine Seniors
3 articles · Updated · USA TODAY · Sep 3
Summary
Dec. 1 jurors will decide whether Fraser Bohm’s 2023 Pacific Coast Highway crash was murder after prosecutors said he drove 104 mph in a 45 mph zone, lost control of his BMW and killed four Pepperdine students.
Four second-degree murder counts hinge on implied malice: prosecutors say Bohm knew “speed kills” and understood the danger on Malibu’s Dead Man’s Curve, while the defense says a road-rage driver clipped him and the crash was an accident.
Bohm, now 24, also faces four vehicular manslaughter counts; a murder conviction could mean life in prison, while manslaughter alone could bring as little as two years.
The trial was postponed from Sept. 8 after prosecutors moved to introduce evidence that a nitrous oxide canister was found in Bohm’s car, though they said they are not alleging he was high.
The case is being watched as part of a broader rise in murder charges for fatal high-speed crashes without alcohol or drugs, a trend experts say has spread well beyond California.