Fraser Bohm posts $4 million bail
A young Malibu man charged in the deaths of four Pepperdine students was released on bond on Oct. 27.
Fraser Bohm was able to post a $4 million bond that had been lowered from $8 million. By posting the bond on a Friday, the 22-year-old was able to remain out of custody over the weekend, making his bail reduction hearing set for Monday, Oct. 30, unnecessary. His attorney, Michael Kraut, was set to appear in court to plea for a bail of $400,000.
Bohm faces four counts of murder in the deaths of Pepperdine seniors and sorority sisters Niamh Rolston, 20, Peyton Stewart, 21, Asha Weir, 21, and Deslyn Williams, 21.
All were students at Seaver College. The four women were hit Oct. 17 when a car driven by Bohm on Pacific Coast Highway careened into parked cars, which then struck the four students. On the evening of the accident, Bohm was initially arrested on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence, but he was quickly released from custody. Law enforcement officers said they needed time to investigate charges of speeding and to gather more evidence. Exactly one week after the deadly collision, Bohm was rearrested on stepped-up charges of murder and taken into custody.
At a press conference, Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon said the revised charges against the Malibu resident stemmed from Bohm’s “complete disregard for the life of others.” Under California law, a murder charge does not require a specific intent to kill, but can include a “depraved indifference” to human life. Gascon claimed Bohm was driving at 104 miles an hour in a 45-mph zone.
Kraut disputes the circumstances of the crash. He claims Bohm was the victim of a road rage incident that began on PCH near Duke’s Restaurant. Kraut says there is security footage that corroborates his claim of another driver who clipped Bohm’s car and that he was going 75.
At a Malibu City Council meeting Oct. 23, more than two dozen frustrated and angry speakers pleaded for help from officials to make PCH safer and lowering the speed limit was a chief concern.
Safety on the PCH has been top of mind for Malibu residents for years and also a priority for Malibu’s highest-ranking local law enforcement official, Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department Capt. Jennifer Seetoo. Making PCH safer is not a new issue for the captain. In 2019, when Seetoo served as the LASD Malibu liaison she headed a task force that divided PCH into four sections with dedicated patrols. That summer, there were no fatalities reported.
Seetoo confirmed Sunday a recent Los Angeles Times column by Mary McNamara that asserted Bohm was driving without a license was incorrect. Seetoo also wrote to The Malibu Times about her personal loss and determination to make PCH less dangerous:
“In 1997, my friend Kim Ellis, a Pepperdine student, and her friend Jeannine Gregory, were killed on PCH by a drunk driver. In 2010, Emily Shane was tragically killed as a pedestrian by a speeding car on PCH at Heathercliff. It seems almost every community within Malibu knows at least someone who has perished on PCH. And for decades, there has been demand for change. But unfortunately, not enough change has been made, and 53 people have been killed on our 21 miles of PCH in the last 10 years alone, most recently the 4 beautiful girls from Pepperdine. So, this time, let us not just demand change, lets create it. This is a multi-stakeholder issue, and we need pressure from you, the community, to ensure a sustained success.
“Let’s break the approach down to the ‘Three E’s’: Education, Enforcement and Engineering. We must educate everyone of the dangers of PCH: pedestrians, road racing, cyclists, drunk driving etc. We must increase enforcement with LASD and CHP to deter bad actors, including demanding immediate implementation of speed cameras. And we must pressure Caltrans to expedite significant engineering changes to re-envision how we look at, and drive on PCH.
“Let’s focus on these Three E’s to #FixPCH. Contact Governor Newsom, Senator Ben Allen and Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin (and all our other elected officials) to request their support and to allow speed cameras. I am working with a grassroots team of Michel Shane, Chris Frost, Chris Wizner, Dermot Stoker, Keegan Gibbs, Kathy Eldon, Tina Segel and Damian Kevitt of Streets Are for Everyone. We will not stop until we Fix PCH. Sign Michel Shane’s, Emily’s dad’s, petition on Change.org.
“This time, let’s not just demand change, but create it. All of us working together have the power to save lives, so let’s not stop until we do.”