Man to stand trial on murder charges for high-speed crash that killed 4 Pepperdine University sorority sisters

A judge has ordered a California man to stand trial on murder and manslaughter charges in connection with a car crash that killed four Pepperdine sorority sisters two years ago.

The crash occurred on the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu around 8:30 p.m. Oct. 17, 2023.

‘This is a horrible, horrible case for everybody — the victims, families.’

Fraser Bohm — who reportedly was 20 years old at the time — allegedly was driving his BMW vehicle between 93 and 104 miles per hour in a 45mph zone, according to prosecutors. The car accident reportedly occurred on a section of the Pacific Coast Highway known as “Dead Man’s Curve.”

However, Bohm’s lawyer, Michael Kraut, told Fox News that witnesses corroborated his client’s assertion that he was driving “70 miles an hour, not 104” prior to the crash “and every fact that he gave was corroborated.”

Kraut noted that one of the witnesses admitted to chasing Bohm in a road-rage incident, which he contends contributed to the deadly crash.

Kraut also stated, “There was somebody who had their lights shining directly into his eyes, and he had to move over, and that was shown on a video where somebody pulled into the center median.”

Kraut added, “A woman who was in front of him saw those lights, and she moved over part of the lane and honked at him, and that startled him, and that moved him in. And that’s when the crash happened.”

Bohm said he was forced to swerve after a white car crossed into his lane and struck his driver’s side mirror, which allegedly caused him to crash into parked vehicles.

According to KABC-TV, the female driver of a white Honda Civic asserted that she never made contact with the BMW before seeing it crash into the first parked vehicle.

Photos of the Honda Civic reportedly showed no apparent damage to the car.

Bohm reportedly crashed into three parked vehicles as well as four college students.

The Pepperdine University sorority sisters — Niamh Rolston, 20; Peyton Stewart, 21; Asha Weir, 21; and Deslyn Williams, 21 — were walking along the shoulder area after getting out of a vehicle when the BMW slammed into them, according to Deputy District Attorney Nathan Bartos.

All four members of the Alpha Phi sorority died.

They were seniors at Pepperdine’s Seaver College of Liberal Arts and set to graduate with the university’s class of 2024. The victims received their degrees posthumously.

The prosecutor proclaimed, “They were killed because of the driving of the defendant.”

Last week, Superior Court Judge Diego H. Edber ordered Bohm to stand trial on murder and vehicular manslaughter charges.

Bohm was charged with four counts each of murder and vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence.

Bohm was ordered to return to the Van Nuys courthouse for his arraignment July 1.

Kraut said, “This is a horrible, horrible case for everybody — the victims, families. It’s a horrific event. And my client’s family and my client feel distraught over what happened. But the issue is holding my client responsible for the level of crime, if any, that he committed, not just going to the top for murder.”

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