Judge Refuses To Toss Murder Counts In Deadly PCH Crash That Killed Pepperdine Students

MALIBU, CA — A judge declined Monday to dismiss murder charges against a man accused of speeding before a 2023 crash on Pacific Coast Highway that killed four Pepperdine University students.

Fraser Michael Bohm, 24, is scheduled to stand trial Sept. 8 on four counts each of murder and vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence.

Bohm is accused of losing control of his vehicle and crashing into three parked vehicles along westbound PCH on Oct. 17, 2023. The parked vehicles then struck Niamh Rolston, 20; Peyton Stewart, 21; Asha Weir, 21; and Deslyn Williams, 21, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

The four women, who died at the scene, were seniors at Pepperdine University.

During a hearing Monday, defense attorney Alan Jackson argued that prosecutors had not presented enough evidence to support implied malice murder charges.

Such charges require prosecutors to show that a defendant knowingly committed an act with potentially deadly consequences and consciously disregarded the risk.

Jackson cited 10 years of collision records from the roughly 0.8-mile stretch of PCH between Carbon Canyon and Las Flores Canyon roads — known as "Dead Man's Curve — arguing that fatal crashes had been rare despite frequent speeding.

He also accused prosecutors of withholding traffic data and evidence involving Bohm’s cellphone before the preliminary hearing.

Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Thomas Rubinson rejected those arguments after a nearly 90-minute hearing.

Rubinson found that prosecutors had provided enough information for the defense to obtain traffic safety reports, collision records and enforcement data independently. He ruled that the District Attorney’s Office had not violated its duty to disclose evidence.

“There is no particular formula in vehicular homicide cases,” Rubinson said, adding that each case must be evaluated individually.

Prosecutor Nathan Bartos said the state’s case was not based solely on Bohm’s alleged speed.

“Speed alone is not what the people are arguing,” Bartos said, according to ABC 7. “We presented witnesses who described the dangerous driving, not just speeding.”

Witnesses described Bohm’s BMW swerving and veering between lanes before the collision. Prosecutors also said the vehicle’s airbags deployed while it was traveling at 99 mph, indicating that Bohm made little effort to brake, according to Court TV.

Bohm’s defense has previously indicated it may argue that he was trying to escape another driver during a road rage incident.

A judge ruled after an April 2025 preliminary hearing that prosecutors had presented sufficient evidence for the case to proceed to trial.

Bohm, who was 22 at the time of the crash, remains free after posting $4 million bail, Court TV reported.

The crash prompted lawsuits and renewed calls for safety improvements along Pacific Coast Highway.

Bohm is due back in a Van Nuys courtroom for a pretrial hearing Sept. 2.

City News Service contributed to this report.

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