Key Takeaways
- Defense attorney Alan Jackson argues that key evidence was withheld during the preliminary hearing.
- Prosecutors charge Fraser Bohm with four counts of murder and vehicular manslaughter in the 2023 Malibu crash.
- Victims were four Pepperdine University seniors, all members of Alpha Phi sorority, who were killed on Pacific Coast Highway.
- A judge previously rejected a similar motion to dismiss murder charges in November 2025.
Introduction
Fraser Bohm, the driver accused of plowing into a group of Pepperdine University students on Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, faced a crucial pre-trial hearing Monday. His defense team is pushing to have the four murder charges dismissed, alleging that the prosecution withheld evidence during the preliminary hearing.
Defense Motion Alleges Withheld Evidence
In a Van Nuys courtroom, defense attorney Alan Jackson argued that the April 2025 preliminary hearing was compromised. He claimed that key pieces of evidence were not shared with the defense, undermining the proceeding that typically determines whether a case moves to trial. The hearing focused on a new motion to toss the murder charges, following an earlier failed attempt in November 2025.
“The preliminary hearing was compromised because key evidence was withheld,” Jackson told the court.
Prosecutors have charged Bohm with murder and vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department reported that Bohm, then 22, swerved onto the north shoulder of westbound PCH on Oct. 17, 2023, and slammed into three parked vehicles. Those vehicles struck four Pepperdine seniors — Niamh Rolston, 20; Peyton Stewart, 21; Asha Weir, 21; and Deslyn Williams, 21 — killing them at the scene.
Prosecutor Nathan Bartos argued that speed alone was not the basis of their case. “Speed alone is not what the people are arguing,” Bartos said. “It wasn't what we argued at the preliminary hearing. We presented witnesses who described the dangerous driving, not just speeding.”
Bohm's previous attorney had argued that Bohm was trying to get away from a road rage driver at the time of the crash.
The judge denied the defense motion to dismiss the murder charges. The trial is scheduled to begin Sept. 8, 2025. If the murder charges are dismissed, Bohm could still face vehicular manslaughter counts. For the families of the victims, the outcome holds deep significance as they seek accountability for the loss of four young lives.
Prosecutors allege Bohm was driving over 100 mph along Pacific Coast Highway, a claim the defense has challenged.
The defense team now claims to have discovered “powerful new evidence” casting doubt on the murder charges, and has pointed to conflicting witness accounts regarding Bohm's driving behavior just before the crash.
This marks the second such denial, following a similar rejection in November 2025.
The incident ignited widespread community outrage and prompted state and local officials to implement stricter traffic enforcement and safety upgrades along PCH.
The crash occurred on a busy stretch of Pacific Coast Highway, a route notorious for accidents, particularly near the area known locally as “Dead Man's Curve.”
During the Monday hearing, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Thomas Rubinson denied the defense motion. The prosecution also specified that Bohm's speed at the time of the initial collision was 104 mph, more than double the posted speed limit on that stretch of Pacific Coast Highway.
In court, defense attorney Alan Jackson argued that fatal collisions are rare on that section of PCH, citing data showing fatal collisions are rare over a 10-year period. He contended that Bohm could not have expected death to result from his alleged speeding. However, prosecutors countered that Bohm knew the road well; Bohm told investigators he knew PCH “like the back of his hand” and that two of his best friends died in high-speed crashes. Judge Rubinson noted this in his November ruling.
Jackson also alleged that the prosecution withheld evidence relating to Bohm's cellphone and vehicle speeds. But Rubinson ruled that the defense team was able to acquire sufficient evidence around traffic safety, collision history and enforcement activity along PCH without having to lobby prosecutors for the data. He said there were no evidentiary violations made by the district attorney’s office.
Bohm, now 24, is not accused of being under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the crash, according to his attorneys.
The tragic accident sparked renewed calls for safety improvements along the 21-mile section of PCH in Malibu, one of the deadliest roads in the state, where 63 people have died since 2010. In July 2024, one person was killed and two injured in a head-on collision along the same stretch where the Pepperdine students died. Traffic collisions dropped precipitously in the aftermath of the 2025 Palisades fire, when the road was closed for weeks and then reopened with strict speed limits. Nonetheless, as cars returned and speeding increased, accidents resumed. In February, a pedestrian became the latest Malibu fatality along an area of PCH near Point Dume.
Local California Context
Malibu, a coastal city in Los Angeles County, is home to Pepperdine University. The crash occurred on a busy stretch of Pacific Coast Highway, a route notorious for accidents. The tragedy shook the tight-knit community, and the four women were later awarded posthumous degrees from the university’s Seaver College of Liberal Arts.
Background
The case has drawn widespread attention since the October 2023 crash. Bohm initially faced charges of vehicular manslaughter, but prosecutors upgraded them to murder after alleging gross negligence. The defense has consistently challenged the murder charges, arguing insufficient evidence. The hearing Monday is the latest legal skirmish in a case that could set a precedent for how PCH-related fatalities are prosecuted.
Conclusion
The judge’s decision on the defense motion is pending. If the murder charges are dismissed, Bohm could still face vehicular manslaughter counts. For the families of the victims, the outcome holds deep significance as they seek accountability for the loss of four young lives.