How fast was Fraser Bohm driving? Malibu man who killed four Pepperdine University students was allegedly texting before crash
MALIBU, CALIFORNIA: Fraser Bohm, the 22-year-old ex-baseball player who was behind the fatal Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) crash that killed four Pepperdine University students, was reportedly driving at a speed of over 100 mph before the incident.
According to Fox News, prosecutors told Judge Diego Edber that Bohm was allegedly speeding at 104 mph in a 45 mph zone on the PHC stretch, known as the "Dead Man's Curve" owing to the high number of fatal accidents in that area.
Prosecutor Nathan Bartos told the Los Angeles Superior Court that Bohm was aware that the neighborhood had a high concentration of homes and businesses and still disregarded the risks when he barreled down the freeway at more than twice the speed limit.
Meanwhile, the suspect allegedly told detectives during an interview that he might have been texting when he crashed his BMW, hitting three parked vehicles before striking the four Pepperdine University sorority sisters.
The incident took place at the 21600 block of Pacific Coast Highway, near La Costa Beach and east of the Malibu Pier, around 8.30 pm on October 17, and claimed the lives of Niamh Rolston, Peyton Stewart, Asha Weir, and Deslyn Williams, all in their 20s.
Fraser Bohm's attorney claims he was being chased by another driver
Fraser Bohm's attorney, Michael Kraut, reportedly said that the 22-year-old was texting at a stop sign when another driver started yelling at him, as reported by Fox News.
The lawyer said that Bohm accelerated to escape the other driver, who allegedly compelled him to veer off the road.
Kraut also claimed they identified the other driver, but investigators were allegedly not interested in investigating the person. "This case was rushed without getting all the facts," stated the attorney.
He also insisted that Bohm was only going 70 mph at the point of impact and mentioned that he was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol during the crash.
Kraut also pointed out that the 22-year-old had no previous traffic violations, not even a speeding ticket, before arguing for a low bail.
However, Judge Edber disagreed with the motion and said, "The facts of this case are extremely egregious," before setting bail at $4 million.
Kraut once again pushed for a lower figure, arguing that Bohm's family would rather give the money to the victims for funeral costs.
Shortly after, Edber reluctantly agreed to conduct a bail review on Thursday, October 26.
Fraser Bohm pleaded not guilty to the charges
Following the deadly PHC crash, Fraser Bohm was initially arrested on charges of suspicion of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence before being released from custody.
He was re-arrested on Tuesday, October 24, on four counts of murder for the deaths of the four Pepperdine University students.
Bohm appeared at his hearing on Wednesday, October 25, and pleaded not guilty to the murder charges.
The former baseball player also claimed he was trying to evade another driver, who was aggressively chasing him, which led him to lose control of his 2016 BMW.
The out-of-control car reportedly collided with parked vehicles before hitting the four college seniors, who were declared dead on the scene.
Bohm's bail was lowered from $8 million to $4 million during the October 25 hearing, but his charges were escalated to murder after officials conducted toxicology and speed analysis and issued search warrants.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department explained that charges against Bohm were initially dropped to provide detectives ample time to build their case.
"When a case is presented to the District Attorney’s Office, you need to present supporting evidence for the specific charges being requested for filing within 48 hours," said the department.
They added, "In this specific case, the evidence, including toxicology, speed analysis, execution of search warrants, etc, was still pending and took additional time to collect," they added.