Driver charged with murder in deadly Las Vegas crash appears in court

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/dec/23/driver-deadly-las-vegas-crash-murder-charge-court

Version 0 of 1.

An Oregon woman accused of plowing her car into a crowd on the Las Vegas Strip, killing one person and injuring dozens, wore handcuffs and showed little emotion as she made her first court appearance on Wednesday to face charges including murder.

Lakeisha Holloway, 24, who police said had her three-year-old daughter with her in the car at the time, has been charged with one count of murder through use of a deadly weapon in the death of a 32-year-old Arizona woman who was among the pedestrians struck by the vehicle on Sunday.

She has also been charged with child abuse or neglect, and with leaving the scene of a collision.

Holloway, dressed in a blue jail outfit with her hands cuffed, exhibited scant emotion during her brief appearance in Clark County criminal court. She nodded her head when asked if she understood the charges against her.

The judge set her next court date for 20 January.

Holloway has been detained without bond since her arrest shortly after the incident near the Planet Hollywood site where the Miss Universe beauty pageant was being staged.

Two people struck by the vehicle remained hospitalized in critical condition at University Medical Center of Southern Nevada on Wednesday and two others were listed in serious condition, a hospital spokeswoman said.

Holloway was being held in a “medically restricted” jail unit for inmates requiring increased supervision including those on suicide watch, according to Las Vegas police spokesman Michael Rodriguez.

Authorities said Holloway had been living in her car with her daughter in Las Vegas for about a week and had been driving on a suspended Oregon license.

Police said Holloway repeatedly drove her sedan on to the sidewalk, ramming pedestrians as bystanders pounded on the windows and tried to pull open her car door to stop her.

Holloway, a former part-time US Forest Service employee, told detectives she had been trying to sleep in her car earlier on Sunday but became stressed when she was repeatedly chased off by security guards, a police report said.