A woman accused of fatally striking a promising young tennis player with her vehicle has been arrested and charged with murder, following a delay of several months.
Jenia Resha Belt, 33, is facing a charge of second-degree murder for allegedly hitting and killing 18-year-old Braun Levi in May 2025.
The tragic incident, a hit-and-run, occurred around 1 a.m. on May 4. Levi was out walking with a friend along Sepulveda Boulevard in Manhattan Beach. The Levi family had recently moved to the area after losing their home in the Palisades Fire.
According to Los Angeles County prosecutors, Belt was under the influence of alcohol when she allegedly drove her Infiniti FX35 into Levi. Levi had been eagerly anticipating his high school graduation, scheduled for the following month, and his upcoming tennis career at the University of Virginia.
Court records from the Levi family’s $200 million wrongful death lawsuit reveal that Belt’s blood alcohol content was nearly twice the legal limit on the night of the incident.
Further investigations revealed that Belt had been driving with a suspended license since January 2024.
Records also show that she has been previously charged with a DUI from an incident on November 25, 2023, meaning she was not allowed to drive for nearly two years before Levi’s death.
In that case, the DUI charge was dropped in September 2024, when Belt pleaded no contest to the misdemeanor count of hit and run with property damage.
Braun Levi was struck and killed by a car in May. He was an 18-year-old high school senior who was set to play tennis at the University of Virginia
Los Angeles County prosecutors say Jenia Resha Belt, 33, was behind the wheel of the Infiniti FX35 that killed Levi over the summer. She was the suspect in a previous DUI incident she pleaded no contest to
Levi was rushed to the hospital and died from his injuries. Belt was arrested at the scene but was released in June.
Now that she has been formally charged over Levi’s death, Belt is being held on a $2 million bond.
On top of the murder charge, she faces one count of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and a misdemeanor count for driving on a suspended or revoked license, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said.
According to the lawsuit the family filed, Belt went to a bar in Hermosa Beach and consumed ‘excessive quantities of alcohol’ before she got behind the wheel.
‘Defendant Belt voluntarily commenced and thereafter continued to consume alcoholic beverages to the point of intoxication, knowing from the outset that she must thereafter operate a motor vehicle,’ it says.
She then ‘willfully chose to operate the subject vehicle while intoxicated at an unsafe and excessive rate of speed’ before hitting Levi, who the suit says sustained ‘severe injuries to his body and head that ultimately resulted in his death.’
The lawsuit went on to claim that officers who arrived at the scene of the deadly crash noticed Belt smelled of alcohol and was taken into custody for driving under the influence.
Levi’s parents have said all of the proceeds from the lawsuit will go toward their Live Like Braun Foundation to raise money for scholarships and public tennis centers, and raise awareness about the dangers of impaired driving.
Levi’s parents (pictured) filed a $200 million wrongful death lawsuit against Belt. The lawsuit claims her blood alcohol level was twice the legal limit when she allegedly hit Levi with her car
At the time of his death, Levi was the captain of Loyola High School’s varsity tennis team. He was described as ‘one of the most accomplished student-athletes in program history’
‘Our family has made the decision to file a civil lawsuit against the individual responsible for taking Braun’s life,’ his mother, Jennifer Levi, said in a statement on November 12, the day they filed the lawsuit.
‘This is not a decision rooted in anger, vengeance or financial gain. It is a decision grounded in accountability, prevention, reform and the unwavering love we have for Braun.’
At the time of his death, Levi was the captain of Loyola High School’s varsity tennis team and ‘one of the most accomplished student-athletes in program history,’ according at statement from the school’s athletics department.
He and his tennis partner, Cooper Schwartz, had won the Mission League doubles championship just days before he was killed – marking the star athlete’s fourth big win in a row.
Levi also helped create a peer-to-peer counseling group for other students at the $27,000 Jesuit school in Los Angeles who were impacted by the Palisades fire in January.
The fire ravaged roughly 6,800 structures on its own. Combined with the devastation caused by the simultaneously burning Eaton Fire, about 16,000 buildings were wrecked.
Levi’s own family was forced to relocate after the blaze burned down their home in the Pacific Palisades, which was estimated to be valued at $3.2 million to $4.1 million.
