Pasadena Man Pleads Not Guilty to Murder of Infant in DUI Crash

LOS ANGELES, CA -- A Pasadena man accused of driving drunk and causing the death of an infant in a crash on the Pasadena (110) Freeway in Elysian Park pleaded not guilty Thursday to murder and other charges.

Jared Hale Lynch Silvestri, 26, crashed his VW Jetta full-speed into a Chrysler pulled over to the shoulder of the freeway near Stadium Way on Nov. 5, according to prosecutors and the California Highway Patrol.

Nearly 3-month-old Melanie Brown -- one of three people in the Chrysler - - died about three hours later at a hospital.

The baby's grandmother was also injured, and a 9-year-old girl in the Chrysler suffered minor injuries.

Silvestri, who was arrested that night, is charged with one count each of murder, driving under the influence of an alcoholic beverage causing injury and driving with a 0.08 percent blood-alcohol content causing injury.

Silvestri -- who is being held in lieu of $2.1 million bail -- is due back at a downtown Los Angeles courthouse Jan. 26, when a date is scheduled to be set for a hearing to determine if there is enough evidence to require him to stand trial.

If convicted as charged, he could face up to 25 years to life in state prison, according to the District Attorney's Office.

City News Service