Conviction Stands For Driver In Pasadena Fatal Christmas Crash

LOS ANGELES, CA — A state appeals court panel Thursday upheld a man's conviction for a Christmas Day 2012 crash in Pasadena that killed a Glendale woman and her 11-year-old cousin.

The three-justice panel from California's 2nd District Court of Appeal rejected the defense's contention that jurors in Darrell Lee Williams' trial should have been instructed about the failure to preserve his Dodge Durango after it was inspected by a traffic officer following the Dec. 25, 2012, crash that killed Tracey Ong Tan, 25, and Kendrick Ng of Daly City.

A traffic officer who brought a defense expert to the tow yard to inspect the Durango learned that the tow service had sold the vehicle without authorization, but the vehicle had already been inspected and determined to have a fully functional brake system, the appellate court justices noted in their eight-page ruling.

The appellate court panel also rejected the defense's contention that a trial court judge erred in denying a defense motion "based on police failure to preserve his Dodge Durango."

"Physical evidence included tire friction marks created by the Durango, indicating its brakes had been applied. Expert testimony based on examination of physical and video evidence indicated the Durango slowed from 85 miles per hour to 76 miles per hour prior to impact with the victim's vehicle," the justices wrote. "This evidence was `comparable' to the evidence which could have been obtained through further examination of the Durango's brake system."

Williams was convicted in November 2015 of two counts of voluntary manslaughter and five counts of assault with a deadly weapon involving an automobile.

Authorities said shortly after the crash that Williams was behind the wheel of the Durango that rolled through a stop sign near Claremont Street and Marengo Avenue.

Police chased the vehicle for about 30 seconds before the SUV smashed into a van turning onto a Foothill (210) Freeway onramp from Marengo Avenue, authorities said. Tan and Ng were killed on impact, and three other people inside the van were injured.

Williams was sentenced in April 2016 to 30 years to life in state prison.

City News Service; Photo: Shutterstock