RIVERSIDE, Calif. — A Southern California man accused of killing three teenagers by intentionally crashing their car after they pranked him on the doorstep was convicted Friday of murder.
Anurag Chandra was found guilty in a Riverside County court of three counts of first degree murder and three counts of attempted murder.
“The killing of these young men was a horrific and senseless tragedy for our community. I thank the jury for their verdict. This is an important step toward justice,” County Attorney Mike Hestrin said in a statement.
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Chandra’s attorney, David Wohl, did not immediately return a request for comment on Friday.
The victims, who were 16, were among six teenagers inside a Toyota Prius on January 19, 2020 when Chandra intentionally crashed her vehicle into the road and drove off, prosecutors said.
The driver of the Prius lost control and the sedan slammed into a tree in the Temescal Valley, about 60 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles.
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Chandra, who did not know the teens, testified at trial that one of the boys rang the doorbell and exposed his butt before fleeing, according to The Riverside Press-Enterprise. Chandra testified that she followed him because she feared for the safety of her family and wanted to express her anger. He said he was “extremely, extremely angry” about the prank.
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Chandra also testified that she drank 12 beers in the hours before the accident, the newspaper reported. He said he had no intention of hitting the Prius and testified that he didn’t stop after he flipped the sedan because he didn’t realize someone had was injured, although he admitted on cross-examination that he had been driving at 99 mph. 159 km/h) before the collision.
The accident killed Daniel Hawkins of Corona; Corona’s Drake Ruiz; and Jacob Ivascu of Riverside, according to the Riverside County Coroner’s Office.
Sergio Campusano was the 18-year-old driver of the Prius at the time. He and Joshua Hawkins and Joshua Ivascu, then 13, survived the crash. They testified at trial and were in the courtroom when the verdict was read.
Chandra was already facing criminal charges related to domestic violence allegations in 2020 when the murders took place.