Murder charges for Ihor Demianenko in DUI crash killing 3 women near LA Metro station
A 61-year-old Valley Village man faces three murder counts after a suspected drunk-driving crash near North Hollywood Metro station killed three female street vendors.
Three women killed near North Hollywood Metro station in suspected DUI crash
Ihor Demianenko, 61, of Valley Village has been charged with three counts of murder following a suspected drunk-driving crash that killed three women near the North Hollywood Metro station, abc7.com reports.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office filed the charges on Friday. Demianenko also faces one count of driving under the influence of alcohol causing injury and one count of driving with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08% or higher causing injury.
The crash occurred just before 6 p.m. on Tuesday near Lankershim and Chandler boulevards. Los Angeles police allege Demianenko was driving a white Toyota Sienna at an unsafe speed when the vehicle veered right, left the road and struck pedestrians and food vendors on the sidewalk.
Prosecutors allege his blood alcohol concentration was more than three times the legal limit of 0.08%.
The three women were pronounced dead at the scene. The District Attorney's Office identified them as Francesca Krystine Esker, 39; Teodora De Jesus Villalobos, 57; and Maria Angelica Peck, 73. Community members described them as street vendors. Two additional victims were hospitalised with serious injuries.
Demianenko missed a scheduled court appearance Friday due to a medical issue. His arraignment is set for 16 November. He remains in custody with bail fixed at more than $6 million. If convicted on all counts, he faces up to 54 years to life in state prison, according to the DA's office.
A North Hollywood Relief Fund has been established on GoFundMe to support the victims' families, in partnership with Councilmember Adrin Nazarian and ICON CDC, a nonprofit organisation.
Source: Google News MT — Crime (en)