A man from California, charged with causing a fatal accident that took the lives of four Pepperdine University students along the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, is planning to appeal after a judge denied a motion from his defense team to dismiss the murder charges against him.
Fraser Bohm, 24, is facing four murder charges related to the tragic crash that resulted in the deaths of Niamh Rolston, 20, Peyton Stewart, 21, Asha Weir, 21, and Deslyn Williams, 21, on October 17, 2023.
The incident occurred shortly after Bohm’s 22nd birthday, when he allegedly lost control of his BMW while speeding around a corner. He crashed into a parked red Mazda, creating a cloud of smoke and debris, and then collided with another parked car, a planter, and several garbage cans. Reports indicate he either hit a third parked vehicle or a stone wall. Notably, court documents state that Bohm had neither drugs nor alcohol in his system at the time and was not texting before the crash.
“The undisputed fact here is that this was a devastating tragedy,” Bohm’s high-profile defense attorney, Alan Jackson, told Fox News Digital on Tuesday. “Four lives were lost.”
Fraser Bohm appeared in Los Angeles Superior Court on October 8, 2025. He stands accused of the deaths of four Pepperdine University students, who were struck while he was allegedly driving at high speed on the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu. (Frederick M. Brown for New York Post via Pool)
The victims, all seniors and members of the Alpha Phi sorority, were walking at the time of the accident. They were pronounced dead at the scene when responders discovered them between Bohm’s BMW and a parked silver vehicle.
Bohm was arrested on manslaughter charges, which were later dropped as investigators dug deeper into the case. They came back with murder charges a week after the crash.
There were no alcohol, drugs, texting or street racing involved in this incident. A case like this is why vehicular manslaughter laws were created.
The Pepperdine University student victims, from left: Peyton Stewart, Asha Weir, Deslyn Williams and Niamh Rolston. (Pepperdine University/Facebook)
“Fraser and his family grieve for the victims and their loved ones. At the same time, the California Supreme Court has been clear that speed alone does not equate to murder,” Jackson said.
“There were no alcohol, drugs, texting or street racing involved in this incident. A case like this is why vehicular manslaughter laws were created. It was over-filed as murder, and we will be asking an appellate court to reverse Judge Rubinson’s decision and dismiss the murder charges.”
A car was damaged in the tragic Malibu wreck that killed four Pepperdine University seniors when a BMW lost control on the Pacific Coast Highway. (FOX11)
Prosecutors allege he was driving at 104 mph in a 45 mph zone known locally as “Dead Man’s Curve.” But there’s also evidence that a moving white car struck Bohm’s vehicle on the other side before he lost control, the defense argued in court documents.
In court, Jackson argued that the prosecution’s case is not enough to justify the “implied malice” murder charges under California law, which requires prosecutors to prove that the suspect intentionally committed an act that is likely to cause death and consciously disregarded the danger.
Fraser Bohm and his mother, Brooke Bohm, arrive at court for his pretrial hearing in Van Nuys, California on Wednesday, October 8, 2025. Bohm is accused of killing four Pepperdine University students while driving at high speed on Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu. (LB/Splash News for Fox News Digital)
Prosecutors, at Bohm’s preliminary hearing, alleged that he knowingly sped on a stretch of road known to be dangerous, which justified the murder charge.
Bohm, who is from the area, allegedly told police he knew the stretch of road “like the back of his hand” and was aware “speed kills” after two of his friends died in an earlier crash. According to prosecutors, he should have known speeding in the area could put lives in danger.
Judge Thomas Rubinson in a pretrial hearing for Fraser Bohm at Los Angeles Superior Court on Oct. 8, 2025, in Los Angeles, California. Bohm is accused of killing four Pepperdine University students while driving in Malibu. (Frederick M. Brown for New York Post via Pool)
Victor Calandra, the driver of a blue GMC pickup, reported seeing Bohm’s BMW swerving erratically before the crash. The defense, however, claims that Bohm was trying to get away from Calandra, who has an alleged history of other road rage incidents, and that his testimony was contradicted by another witness.
Calandra was later seen yelling at Bohm in the wake of the crash as they awaited responding officers, according to court documents.
Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Thomas Rubinson rejected the arguments at a hearing Monday, according to FOX 11 Los Angeles.
Last month, the City of Malibu released four white doves in honor of the victims at a memorial ceremony.
Pepperdine University is a private Christian school with a campus overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
