Judge Denies Request to Dismiss Murder Charges Against Speeding Driver Who Fatally Struck 4 Pepperdine University Students

A judge has rejected an appeal to dismiss murder charges against the driver accused of causing a 2023 crash that killed four Pepperdine University students along a Malibu highway.

Fraser Michael Bohm appeared in court on Monday, Nov. 10, where Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Thomas Rubinson denied his legal team’s request to throw out four murder charges, according to reports from the Los Angeles Times, KTLA and KABC.

Bohm — who was 22 at the time of the Oct. 17, 2023 collision — is charged with four counts of murder and four counts of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence in connection with the deaths of Niamh Rolston, 20; Peyton Stewart, 21; Asha Weir, 21; and Deslyn Williams, 21.

Rolston, Stewart, Weir and Williams were standing alongside the Pacific Coast Highway waiting to meet friends when Bohm’s vehicle slammed into parked cars, triggering a deadly chain-reaction crash.

Authorities immediately pointed to excessive speed as the primary cause. “The leading cause of collisions on PCH by far is speed,” Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Capt. Jennifer Seetoo said that night, according to NBC News.

According to the Times, investigators alleged Bohm was driving 104 mph when he lost control around a curve locally known as “Dead Man’s Curve,” striking multiple parked vehicles that were subsequently pushed into the four students, who died at the scene.

All four victims were members of the Alpha Phi sorority at Pepperdine University.

“In this time of immeasurable grief and heartache, we stand together as a community… Each departed student brought a unique gift and spirit to the University,” Connie Horton, the university’s Vice President for Student Affairs, said at the time.

Bohm, now 24, has recently hired a new high-profile defense team led by attorney Alan Jackson, who represented Karen Read earlier this year, according to the Times.

In court Monday, Jackson argued that Bohm was fleeing a road-rage situation before the crash. “Tragedy doesn’t create murder,” he told the judge, claiming this is “why manslaughter exists.”

Prosecutors, however, say Bohm is being charged with murder based on implied malice — the allegation that his extreme speed showed a conscious disregard for human life. They also stated there is no evidence supporting a road-rage encounter before the crash. Judge Rubinson appeared to agree, saying, “The defendant knew how dangerous it was to drive at 100 mph, and his actions had a high degree of probability of causing death.”

Bohm’s legal team plans to appeal the decision, according to KABC. The case is expected to resume in January, when the judge intends to schedule a trial date.