Anurag Chandra Guilty
RIVERSIDE (CNS) – Sentencing is set July 14 for a Temescal Valley man convicted of ramming a car occupied by six teenagers, causing the vehicle to crash and kill half of the boys, after the teens had played “doorbell ditch” at the defendant’s house.
A jury on Friday found 45-year-old Anurag Chandra guilty of three counts of first-degree murder and three counts of attempted murder. He faces life in prison without parole for causing the deaths of Daniel Hawkins, Jacob Ivascu and Drake Ruiz — all 16 — on Jan. 19, 2020. Ivascu was from Riverside; the other two were from Corona.
“Tough verdict,” defense attorney David Wohl said. “There is a lot of passion behind this case and sometimes it plays into the verdict.”
A 13-year-old boy, 14-year-old boy and 18-year-old man, who was at the wheel of the car that was struck, suffered moderate to major injuries in the crash and were treated at Inland Valley Medical Center in Wildomar. They have since recovered to varying degrees.
According to California Highway Patrol investigators and prosecutors, the boys were having a Sunday night sleepover at one of their homes and decided to try a “doorbell ditch” prank in the neighborhood, on Modjeska Summit Road in the Temescal Valley, just south of Corona.
Shortly after 10 p.m., five of them piled into a Toyota Prius parked on Modjeska Summit, while another went to Chandra’s residence and rang the bell several times, investigators said. The youth then ran to the Prius, which raced away from the location.
According to the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office, Chandra “chased after the Prius in his 2019 Infinity Q50.”
CHP Officer Juan Quintero said the defendant bore down on the Prius at high speed along Temescal Canyon Road, approaching Squaw Mountain Road. The lawman alleged that the defendant rammed the Prius, causing it to spin out of control and slam into a tree on the side of the road.
Family members told reporters that the boys were fleeing out of fear and were trying to avoid a confrontation with Chandra. There was no prior dispute between the teens and the defendant, according to prosecutors.
Witnesses followed Chandra back to his residence and alerted CHP officers, who arrested him roughly four hours after the collision.
Chandra testified that he thought the person at his door was a sex offender who had come to assault him, his wife and twin 16-year-old daughters, according to the Press-Enterprise. He said he drove after the teens hoping to express his anger, but not harm them.
Chandra further testified that he only collided with the car because it suddenly braked.
However, jury foreman Terry Sherrill said the panel was put off by Chandra’s demeanor during his testimony.
“He absolutely did not put us in a remorseful mindset,” Sherrill said. “He didn’t seem to care about the well-being of the kids at all. … Just his demeanor throughout the trial, and he didn’t show any form of remorse or emotion until he was talking about his money.”
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