Fraser Michael Bohm (center), Bohm’s father (left) and attorney Jacqueline Sparagna (right) leave the Van Nuys Courthouse after a pre-trial hearing Feb. 10. A trial date was not set at the hearing. Photo by Amanda Monahan
Editor’s Note: This reporting is part of the Graphic’s ongoing coverage of the Oct. 2023 PCH crash that killed four Pepperdine seniors: Asha Weir, Deslyn Williams, Niamh Rolston and Peyton Stewart. For more information on the crash and the events that followed and a better understanding of ‘Our Girls,’ please see the following:
From 2023: Couch Time and Sunshine: Reminiscing on Moments of Friendship and Sisterhood
From 2024: A Year Later: How Best Friends Honor and Remember their Sisters
From 2025: Two Years Later: Malibu Honors ‘Our Four Girls’
Judge Thomas Rubinson did not set a trial date for Fraser Michael Bohm at the Feb. 10 pre-trial hearing at the Van Nuys Courthouse. While an official date was not set, Rubinson and both the prosecution and defense discussed possible ranges of time for when to schedule the trial.
Bohm’s Attorney Alan Jackson said the defense would like to start the trial within the first two weeks of June, while Deputy District Attorney Nathan Bartos said he would like the trial to begin as soon as possible.
Bohm’s defense requested access to Bohm’s phone — which has been held in evidence for the past two years — to extract data from it, but the prosecution requested a third party to download the remaining data. The prosecution wants a third party to do it because allowing the defense to extract the remaining data will give the defense access to information that prosecution and law enforcement don’t have.
The defense suggested Joseph Greenfield, chief forensics officer at Maryman & Associates, extract the data from Bohm’s phone. Greenfield previously extracted the data from witness Victor Calandra’s phone. The defense accused Calandra of chasing Bohm leading up to the crash.
Either law enforcement, Greenfield or an associate of Greenfield will transport the phone to the lab through the use of a Faraday bag while on airplane mode, which will prevent any connection to the phone.
Bohm, Sparagna and defense attorney Alan Jackson stand inside the courtroom at the Van Nuys Courthouse for a pre-trial hearing Feb. 10. Bohm’s defense requested Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System reports. Photo courtesy of David Buchan
The defense is also requesting Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS) reports from October 2013 to October 2023 for the 0.8 mile stretch from Carbon Canyon Road to Las Flores Canyon Road. These reports contain the underlying data for the 129 crashes — including Bohm’s — that happened during that time.
The defense has summaries of each of these crashes, but wants the reports so they can compare the accuracy of the reports to the summaries. Bohm’s summary said the reason for the crash was lane switching, yet neither the prosecution nor the defense are arguing that was the cause.
Additionally, Bohm’s crash was the only fatal crash of the 129, so the defense argued having access to this data will help their case against the murder charges; if Bohm’s crash was the only fatal one, then there isn’t a “high probability” of death.
Bartos argued against the court giving the defense these records because he said the 128 other crashes are irrelevant. Additionally, even if none of these crashes were fatal, Bohm’s actions were still dangerous and 0.8 miles is too small of a sample size.
Rubinson ultimately sided with the defense and will grant them access to these records, but said in order to be relevant, the reports need to include the speed of vehicles involved, and the level of speeding needs to be comparable to what Bohm is accused of.
The defense also requested speeding ticket data on PCH through all of Malibu during the same time period. Rubinson granted the defense speeding ticket data along the smallest area, including that 0.8 mile stretch from Carbon Canyon Road to Las Flores Canyon Road only from October 2021 to October 2023.
The next pre-trial hearing will take place April 9 at the Van Nuys Courthouse.
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Contact Tony Gleason via email: anthony.gleason@pepperdine.edu or Instagram: @tonygleasonjournalist
Contact Amanda Monahan via email: amanda.monahan@pepperdine.edu or Instagram: @amandamonahanjournalism