Fraser Bohm, the accused driver of a vehicle who crashed into four Pepperdine University students on Pacific Coast Highway in October 2023, has pleaded not guilty in the deaths of the four sorority sisters.
Bohm appeared in a Los Angeles County courtroom on Wednesday to hear his charges, alongside his new attorney who was most recently the legal representative in one of the highest profile murder cases in recent memory.
Bohm, of Malibu, has hired Alan Jackson, who just recently secured a not-guilty verdict in the Massachusetts murder trial of Karen Read, according to Court TV.
Jackson has also represented actor Kevin Spacey in a sexual assault case, and was a former member of the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office team that successfully prosecuted music producer Phil Spector for the murder of actress and model Lana Clarkson.
Jackson will now attempt to get another client exonerated in a high-profile murder case that has made national headlines.
Bohm is accused of hitting Niamh Rolston, Peyton Stewart, Asha Weir and Deslyn Williams on Oct. 17, 2023, while traveling at speeds exceeding 100 mph, according to the D.A.’s Office. The four students were declared dead at the scene — Bohm was uninjured.
The then-22-year-old was briefly arrested before being released hours later; he was eventually taken into custody and charged with murder in the death of the four college seniors.
The crash happened in an area of the arterial roadway known by locals as “Dead Man’s Curve,” due to the high number of accidents involving speeding drivers. The posted speed limit near the crash where the women were hit is 45 mph.
In the wake of these deaths, locals and elected leaders have been pushing for traffic calming measures, as well as speed cameras to be installed along the dangerous strip of road.
Since his arrest, Bohm has claimed he was fleeing a road rage incident at a popular restaurant in Malibu. Bohm’s previous lead attorney had claimed that they were able to identify the person who they say instigated the incident that led to Bohm fleeing at high speeds approximately three miles from the restaurant.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has yet to corroborate that claim.
Speaking outside the courtroom Wednesday, Jackson said he intends to poke holes in the prosecution’s case, and will attempt to have Bohm’s $4 million bail reduced, according to the Daily Mail.
Bohm is due back in court on Sept. 5
Bohm also faces potential civil litigation from the family members of the four women killed.
Jackson, meanwhile, has confirmed he will be rejoining the Karen Read defense team as she stares down her own civil case in a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of her former boyfriend, Boston police officer John O’Keefe.