Fraser Michael Bohm, the driver charged with striking and killing four Pepperdine students — Niamh Rolston, Peyton Stewart, Asha Weir, and Deslyn Williams — on Oct. 17, 2023, appeared at the Van Nuys Courthouse on Wednesday, Oct. 9, along with 20 people, including his friends, parents, and sister. The parents of the victims also sat inside the courtroom for the proceeding.
Bohm faces four counts of murder and four counts of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence. Bohm pleaded not guilty on all charges after being released on $4 million bail on Oct. 27, 2023.
During Wednesday’s proceedings, Judge Diego Edber said he received a letter from Bohm’s defense attorney, Michael Kraut, earlier in the week. In the letter, Kraut asked for the court to be recused, with concerns of fairness to a preliminary hearing.
In defense, Kraut said Bohm has never received a traffic citation and was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the crash and said the entire case has to be based on speed.
At the Aug. 28 preliminary hearing, Kraut motioned for the discovery of additional evidence and a report on crashes and fatalities on PCH in the past 10 years by the Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff’s Department, where the driver was charged with murder with no foreign substances in their system.
The court will reconvene on Nov. 13 for a preliminary hearing at the Van Nuys Courthouse. The trial is expected to begin in January 2025. Kraut said he may not be able to commit to any January date due to accident reconstruction experts analyzing Bohm’s vehicle.
