LAKEPORT ? A judge continued a case against a Kelseyville man Friday on charges of second-degree murder so that his defense attorney could finish reading about 400 pages of discovery.
Alejandro Arias, 28, allegedly caused the death of a woman in a September crash. He will return to court 9 a.m. May 14 for disposition setting.
Arias pleaded not guilty to the charges on April 2, including second-degree murder, gross vehicular manslaughter and three counts of reckless driving causing great bodily injury. He also denied three special allegations that he caused great bodily injury to the three victims. The charges and allegations carry a sentence of 21 years to life in prison.
Arias allegedly drove through a red light about 100 mph Sept. 11 on Highway 29 at Highway 175 Hopland near Lakeport, crashed into Charlane Hill”s car, killing her and severely injuring her two passengers, California Highway Patrol reported. Hill was 41.
Fire crews used the Jaws of Life to remove the four people from the cars, Officer Steve Tanguay of CHP said. The Lake County Sheriff”s Coroner pronounced Hill dead at the scene.
Hill”s right-front passenger, Maria Holt, 40, of Clearlake, was air transported to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital with major injuries. REACH air ambulance took Charlane Hill”s 10-year-old niece Elizabeth Hill, who was in the back seat, to Children”s Hospital and Research Center in Oakland with major injuries.
CHP officers arrested Arias the night of the crash, but because he went to the hospital and law enforcement officers were continuing their investigation, Arias wasn”t taken into custody at the Lake County Jail until March 31, said John Langan, senior deputy district attorney prosecuting the case. Arias remains in custody with a $500,000-bail.
Law enforcement officers are still investigating whether Arias was intoxicated at the time, Langan said.
After the District Attorney”s Office reviewed Arias” extensive driving record with violations in California and Oregon and evidence that showed Arias personally modified and raced his Mustang in the past, the office charged that Arias displayed a reckless indifference to the unjustifiably high risk of danger to human life.?
“This conscious disregard for the obvious danger to human life is called ?implied malice,” and elevates the crime that caused the death of Ms. Hill to second-degree murder,” Langan said in a press release.
Contact Katy Sweeny at kdsweeny@gmail.com or call her directly at 263-5636, ext. 37.
