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| Man Who Crashed Into Teens After Doorbell Prank Is Found Guilty of Murder | Man Who Crashed Into Teens After Doorbell Prank Is Found Guilty of Murder |
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| A California man who crashed into a car of six teenagers after they played a doorbell ditch prank at his home in 2020 was convicted of murder on Friday. | A California man who crashed into a car of six teenagers after they played a doorbell ditch prank at his home in 2020 was convicted of murder on Friday. |
| The man, Anurag Chandra, was found guilty of three counts of first-degree murder and three counts of attempted murder in the crash on Temescal Canyon Road in Riverside County, Calif., after a jury deliberated for less than three hours. The Riverside County District Attorney’s Office argued in the Superior Court of California that the crash, which killed three 16-year-old boys, was intentional. | The man, Anurag Chandra, was found guilty of three counts of first-degree murder and three counts of attempted murder in the crash on Temescal Canyon Road in Riverside County, Calif., after a jury deliberated for less than three hours. The Riverside County District Attorney’s Office argued in the Superior Court of California that the crash, which killed three 16-year-old boys, was intentional. |
| Mr. Chandra is set to face sentencing in July and could see life in prison without the possibility of parole. | Mr. Chandra is set to face sentencing in July and could see life in prison without the possibility of parole. |
| “The response and actions taken by the defendant are egregious and extremely disproportionate to a teen ringing a doorbell and running away,” John Hall, a spokesman with the district attorney’s office, said in an email at the time. | “The response and actions taken by the defendant are egregious and extremely disproportionate to a teen ringing a doorbell and running away,” John Hall, a spokesman with the district attorney’s office, said in an email at the time. |
| In January 2020, one of the boys in the car had been dared to prank a home, the district attorney’s office said, and the six teenagers drove to Mr. Chandra’s in Corona, about 50 miles southeast of Los Angeles. The boy rang the doorbell and returned to the Prius they were riding in, and the group drove off. | In January 2020, one of the boys in the car had been dared to prank a home, the district attorney’s office said, and the six teenagers drove to Mr. Chandra’s in Corona, about 50 miles southeast of Los Angeles. The boy rang the doorbell and returned to the Prius they were riding in, and the group drove off. |
| Mr. Chandra then chased after them in his own vehicle, prosecutors said, and rammed into the back of the Prius, “causing it to veer off the road and into a tree.” He fled after the crash, the California Highway Patrol said, and was arrested after witnesses followed him to a home and alerted the authorities. | Mr. Chandra then chased after them in his own vehicle, prosecutors said, and rammed into the back of the Prius, “causing it to veer off the road and into a tree.” He fled after the crash, the California Highway Patrol said, and was arrested after witnesses followed him to a home and alerted the authorities. |
| Three boys, Daniel Hawkins, Jacob Ivascu and Drake Ruiz, were killed, the authorities said. The driver, Sergio Campusano, then 18, and two other boys, Joshua Hawkins, then 13, and Joshua Ivascu, then 14, were injured. | Three boys, Daniel Hawkins, Jacob Ivascu and Drake Ruiz, were killed, the authorities said. The driver, Sergio Campusano, then 18, and two other boys, Joshua Hawkins, then 13, and Joshua Ivascu, then 14, were injured. |
| During the trial, Mr. Chandra testified that he had been afraid for his family’s safety that night when he saw a person with a hooded sweatshirt outside his home, and that he chased down the other car to verbally express his anger, The Press-Enterprise reported. He also testified that he had drunk 12 bottles of beer on the night of the crash, the newspaper reported. | During the trial, Mr. Chandra testified that he had been afraid for his family’s safety that night when he saw a person with a hooded sweatshirt outside his home, and that he chased down the other car to verbally express his anger, The Press-Enterprise reported. He also testified that he had drunk 12 bottles of beer on the night of the crash, the newspaper reported. |
| Alex Ivascu, the father of Jacob, who was killed in the crash, and Joshua, who survived it, said in an email on Saturday that he was angry listening to Mr. Chandra “spewing lies” but that the most difficult part of the trial was watching his son take the stand to recall that evening. | |
| “The confirmation from the jury that nothing he did that night caused the death of his brother and best friends has brought him a new level of peace and healing,” Mr. Ivascu wrote. | |
| David Wohl, an attorney for Mr. Chandra, called the verdict “unfortunate.” | David Wohl, an attorney for Mr. Chandra, called the verdict “unfortunate.” |
| “We didn’t think in any way, shape or form that it was a first-degree murder,” he said, adding that “there was a lot of passion surrounding this case for the past three years.” | “We didn’t think in any way, shape or form that it was a first-degree murder,” he said, adding that “there was a lot of passion surrounding this case for the past three years.” |
| Mr. Wohl said he would file a motion for a new trial on Mr. Chandra’s behalf and would appeal the guilty verdict if the motion was denied. | Mr. Wohl said he would file a motion for a new trial on Mr. Chandra’s behalf and would appeal the guilty verdict if the motion was denied. |
| “We feel there are quite a few issues that are ripe for appeal,” he said, but declined to share additional details. Mr. Wohl added that he thought the defense exposed in their arguments a “great deal of corruption that was done in this investigation.” | “We feel there are quite a few issues that are ripe for appeal,” he said, but declined to share additional details. Mr. Wohl added that he thought the defense exposed in their arguments a “great deal of corruption that was done in this investigation.” |
| Kevin Beecham, a deputy district attorney, said in an emailed statement that the prosecution was “very pleased that justice was served for the victims and mourn with their families over the losses they suffered.” | Kevin Beecham, a deputy district attorney, said in an emailed statement that the prosecution was “very pleased that justice was served for the victims and mourn with their families over the losses they suffered.” |