Driver accused in fatal July 4, 2024, crash appears in court

By Judy Abel · Sat Jul 18 2026

Summer Wheaton, the self-proclaimed lifestyle influencer accused in the fatal July 4, 2024, crash on Pacific Coast Highway, appeared in a Van Nuys courtroom this week. The micro-social media influencer, with a modest 94,500 followers on social media, pleaded not guilty to vehicular manslaughter and two counts of DUI at her arraignment hearing. Wheaton, now 35, is accused of crashing into ride-share driver Martin Okeke. Police say she crossed the median on PCH after leaving a heavily publicized, booze-soaked party at Nobu. 

Okeke, 44, the father of one daughter, was driving an underage passenger northbound through Malibu around 10:30 p.m. when Wheaton was driving southbound. Her Mercedes-Benz allegedly hit Okeke’s Cadillac SUV head-on. Okeke did not survive the crash, while Wheaton was briefly hospitalized and Okeke’s young passenger apparently escaped without major injuries. Investigators claim Wheaton’s blood alcohol level was 0.08%, which is the legal threshold for being considered intoxicated while driving in all 50 states. Earlier, Wheaton filed a civil complaint denying responsibility for Okeke’s death and claims the accident was his fault.