Overview
- Judge Thomas Rubinson denied the defense motion to dismiss four murder counts on Monday, leaving Fraser Bohm to face trial on Sept. 8, 2026.
- Prosecutors say Bohm was driving about 104 mph on Oct. 17, 2023, lost control on westbound Pacific Coast Highway, and struck parked cars that fatally hit four Pepperdine seniors.
- Bohm’s attorneys say they have found “powerful new evidence,” challenge the accuracy of vehicle speed data, and propose a possible road‑rage theory to undercut the murder allegations.
- The legal dispute turns on California’s standard for implied malice versus ordinary negligence, making expert reconstruction of speed, phone and vehicle data central to the upcoming trial.
- The crash killed Niamh Rolston, Peyton Stewart, Asha Weir and Deslyn Williams and prompted lawsuits by their families as well as stepped-up enforcement and safety upgrades along the dangerous PCH stretch.