Sina Khankhanian, the 27-year-old man charged with second-degree murder in the death last year of 13-year-old Emily Shane, faces preliminary a hearing Tuesday and Wednesday. It is the second preliminary hearing for Khankhanian, whose case was surprisingly dismissed Sept. 13 due to procedural issues. The second-degree murder charge was refiled shortly thereafter. A trial could begin in December.
Trial proceedings were expected to begin in mid-September, but Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Stephanie Sautner instead dismissed the second-degree murder charge against Khankhanian Sept. 13. Deputy District Attorney Marna Miller refiled the second-degree murder charge that afternoon, to which Khankhanian once again pleaded not guilty.
Miller told Shane’s father, Michel Shane, and defense attorney Bradley Brunon that she was having difficulty scheduling all of the witnesses needed to testify for the prosecution in time for a trial.
Shane was killed April 3 last year when an allegedly suicidal Khankhanian drove his car off Pacific Coast Highway, hitting her as she walked home from a friend’s house and then colliding with a power pole. Khankhanian pleaded not guilty to a charge of second-degree murder in January. A pretrial conference to set a trial date was postponed multiple times while the prosecution and defense reviewed psychological testing performed on Khankhanian.
Brunon maintains Khankhanian did not intend to hit Shane but instead meant to end his own life by hitting the power pole.