Man to stand trial on murder charges for high-speed crash that killed 4 Pepperdine University sorority sisters



A judge has ordered a California man to stand trial on murder and manslaughter charges in connection with a car crash that killed four Pepperdine sorority sisters two years ago.

The crash occurred on the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu around 8:30 p.m. Oct. 17, 2023.

'This is a horrible, horrible case for everybody — the victims, families.'

Fraser Bohm — who reportedly was 20 years old at the time — allegedly was driving his BMW vehicle between 93 and 104 miles per hour in a 45mph zone, according to prosecutors. The car accident reportedly occurred on a section of the Pacific Coast Highway known as "Dead Man's Curve."

However, Bohm's lawyer, Michael Kraut, told Fox News that witnesses corroborated his client's assertion that he was driving "70 miles an hour, not 104" prior to the crash "and every fact that he gave was corroborated."

Kraut noted that one of the witnesses admitted to chasing Bohm in a road-rage incident, which he contends contributed to the deadly crash.

Kraut also stated, "There was somebody who had their lights shining directly into his eyes, and he had to move over, and that was shown on a video where somebody pulled into the center median."

Kraut added, "A woman who was in front of him saw those lights, and she moved over part of the lane and honked at him, and that startled him, and that moved him in. And that's when the crash happened."

Bohm said he was forced to swerve after a white car crossed into his lane and struck his driver's side mirror, which allegedly caused him to crash into parked vehicles.

According to KABC-TV, the female driver of a white Honda Civic asserted that she never made contact with the BMW before seeing it crash into the first parked vehicle.

Photos of the Honda Civic reportedly showed no apparent damage to the car.

Bohm reportedly crashed into three parked vehicles as well as four college students.

The Pepperdine University sorority sisters — Niamh Rolston, 20; Peyton Stewart, 21; Asha Weir, 21; and Deslyn Williams, 21 — were walking along the shoulder area after getting out of a vehicle when the BMW slammed into them, according to Deputy District Attorney Nathan Bartos.

All four members of the Alpha Phi sorority died.

They were seniors at Pepperdine's Seaver College of Liberal Arts and set to graduate with the university's class of 2024. The victims received their degrees posthumously.

The prosecutor proclaimed, "They were killed because of the driving of the defendant."

Last week, Superior Court Judge Diego H. Edber ordered Bohm to stand trial on murder and vehicular manslaughter charges.

Bohm was charged with four counts each of murder and vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence.

Bohm was ordered to return to the Van Nuys courthouse for his arraignment July 1.

Kraut said, "This is a horrible, horrible case for everybody — the victims, families. It's a horrific event. And my client's family and my client feel distraught over what happened. But the issue is holding my client responsible for the level of crime, if any, that he committed, not just going to the top for murder."

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Watch wild dashcam video of hit-and-run crash that led to bizarre chain of events culminating in arrest of rock star's wife



Newly released dashcam video shows the moment of a crazy hit-and-run accident involving multiple vehicles in Southern California last week that led to a bizarre chain of events culminating in the arrest of the wife of rock band Weezer's bassist.

As Blaze News previously reported, 51-year-old best-selling author Jillian Lauren Shriner was arrested last Tuesday and charged with attempted murder of a peace officer.

'It’s crazy how just one man can cause so much chaos.'

Shriner exited her home in the Eagle Rock neighborhood of Los Angeles at the same time police swarmed the area to search for three suspects involved in a hit-and-run incident. Police say Shriner was armed with a handgun.

“The officers ordered Shriner to drop the handgun multiple times; however, she refused," according to the police report obtained by KNBC-TV. "Shriner then pointed the handgun at the officers, and an officer-involved shooting occurred."

Citing Los Angeles Police Department spokesperson Jennifer Forkish, the Los Angeles Times reported that Shriner "pointed her gun at officers" and "opened fire."

Cops allegedly returned fire and shot Shriner in the shoulder, and then she fled into her home.

Shriner then purportedly exited her house and surrendered to the police. She was transported to a hospital with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound.

Police reportedly recovered a 9mm handgun from Shriner's home.

Shriner — the wife of Weezer bassist Scott Shriner — was taken into custody but released after posting a $1 million bond.

Police officers reportedly apprehended the alleged hit-and-run driver in a neighboring back yard. Video seemingly shows the suspect attempting to blend into the neighborhood by watering a garden and wearing only his boxers.

The man was arrested and charged with one count of misdemeanor hit-and-run. He allegedly got into a car crash with two other vehicles on a nearby freeway.

KABC-TV released wild dashcam video of the crash, as well as the suspect fleeing the crime scene with clothes and a guitar.

Video shows a gray sedan swerving across multiple lanes, slamming into a black car, and then a Tesla crashing into the other vehicles from the rear.

David Gonzalez was driving his brand-new Telsa when he was involved in the three-car collision.

“I thought I was in an episode of 'GTA,'" Gonzalez said of the crash, referring to the Grand Theft Auto video game. "Honestly, that stuff just doesn’t happen."

Gonzalez suffered an injured back and broken arm in the crash and will require surgery.

His Tesla, which he purchased just two weeks ago, was totaled.

Gonzalez said of the events following the car crash, "Ripple effect. At the moment, I had no clue what happened after, but it’s crazy how just one man can cause so much chaos."

Shriner is scheduled to return to court on April 30.

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'How much have you had to drink tonight, Wally?' Former police chief dragged from car, arrested for DUI in wild bodycam video



Newly released police bodycam video shows cops physically removing a former Illinois police chief from his vehicle after he was accused of drunk driving.

Walter Klimek, who was chief of the Bridgeview Police Department from 2013 until 2016, was involved in a car accident on Dec. 27, 2024.

'You guys are my f**king buddies.'

Officers with the nearby Justice Police Department responded to a high-speed car crash in which Klimek's speeding automobile allegedly struck a guard rail, spun out, and then slammed into another vehicle, WGN-TV reported.

The police bodycam video — featuring explicit language — shows Klimek in the driver's seat of his car with the airbags deployed and police officers all around his vehicle.

It appears that Klimek doesn't realize his vehicle was involved in a car crash and is insisting on leaving the crime scene. The officer is heard on police bodycam video informing the former police chief that his vehicle was involved in a car crash and suffered damage.

Klimek shouts at officers: "Let me go this way!" He then attempts to befriend the officers, "C'mon guys, you guys are f**king awesome! That's f**king cool!"

The Chicago-area villages of Justice and Bridgeview are next to each other, and a Justice officer — who apparently knows who the former Bridgeview police chief is — asks, "How much have you had to drink tonight, Wally?”

A passenger in the other car that Klimek reportedly struck was injured and was transported to a local hospital.

When an ambulance arrives at the scene, Klimek is heard asking officers, "What the f**k is that thing over there now?"

After the officer explained that it was an ambulance to tend to the injured motorist, Klimek is heard yelling: "F**k him! Get the f**k out of here!"

Klimek refuses to obey officers' commands to exit his vehicle and defiantly grasps the steering wheel when officers attempt to remove him from the car.

An officer tells Klimek, "All right, Wally, we’re going to have to get out, man."

"You're embarrassing yourself," a cop tells Klimek in the bodycam video released this week. "Let’s be a grown adult now."

The former police chief tells the officers, "You guys are my f**king buddies" and that he's "sorry."

Finally, two officers physically removed Klimek from his vehicle.

Klimek screams in the bodycam video, "Leave me alone!"

After being dragged out of the vehicle, Klimek is still uncooperative and is placed on a stretcher and strapped down.

Even after he was booked, Klimek reportedly was confused over the incident and didn't realize that he was involved in a car accident or that he had been arrested and charged with driving under the influence, the video shows.

“What do you mean a DUI?” Klimek told police, according to the New York Post. "I’m not drunk.”

Klimek refused to have his blood drawn at a local hospital to determine his blood-alcohol content, according to the arrest report.

The former police chief was charged with misdemeanor resisting arrest and DUI.

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Viral video: Juveniles race dirt bikes inside California shopping mall; cops investigating if one rider died shortly after



A viral video shows juveniles racing dirt bikes inside a California shopping mall Saturday night. Despite the video showing the suspects, no arrests have been made in the case. Police are investigating whether the incident is connected with a deadly crash nearby.

The Santa Clarita Valley Signal reported that juveniles were riding dirt bikes inside the Valencia Town Center mall — roughly 35 miles northwest of Los Angeles.

'People are there for the shopping experience. They’re not going to expect having a motorcycle ride right past them.'

The Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff's Station dispatched officers to the mall at 9:22 p.m. after a woman reported being struck by one of the dirt-bike riders. Sgt. Jerome Gage said, "She was hit by one of [the dirt bikes] when she was walking to her vehicle."

The alleged victim could not be located when deputies arrived at the shopping mall, which meant no charges were pressed and no arrests were made.

Sgt. Gage confirmed an Instagram video was circulating that shows the dirt-bike riders racing around the Valencia Town Center. The video had racked up tens of thousands of views in just days.

The viral video shows three male juveniles riding dirt bikes near the mall's food court.

Chris Hernandez, a restaurant manager at the mall, told KTLA, "It was loud. I saw the motorcycles come up through the mall."

"To me, it’s a big no-no because there’s little kids all over the place, and somebody’s going to end up getting hurt," Hernandez added.

Another employee at the mall said that it wasn't the first time dirt-bike riders have driven in the Valencia Town Center.

Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff's Station Sgt. Guillermo Martinez said the three suspects could face felony charges if they are caught.

"People are there for the shopping experience. They’re not going to expect having a motorcycle ride right past them," Martinez told KTLA. "That could be threat of serious danger, injury to them as well as to the riders of the motorcycles."

Police are investigating whether the suspects are connected to a fatal accident nearby.

Sheriff's deputies were dispatched to a vehicle collision just two miles away from the mall at 9:49 p.m. Saturday.

A 14-year-old boy riding a dirt bike collided head-on with a van in an intersection, according to police.

Deputy Robert Jensen — a spokesman for the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station — told the Santa Clarita Valley Signal that the child was knocked off the dirt bike and then was struck by another vehicle and was trapped underneath it.

Deputies rescued the boy, and the Los Angeles County Fire Department provided medical treatment at the scene.

The minor was rushed to the Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital where he was listed in critical condition. However, the teen succumbed to his injuries at the hospital and was pronounced dead at 7:32 a.m. Sunday.

Jensen said the sheriff's office is investigating whether the boy who died was one of the riders in the viral video taken inside the mall. He added that the dirt bike involved in the fatal accident was not street-legal.

Sgt. Martinez said police would be increasing patrols in the area of the mall following the two incidents.

“We will be out there, and we will take a zero-tolerance approach,” Sgt. Martinez declared. “If we see it, we will either cite, confiscate, arrest, or impound depending on what the circumstances are, but we are ramping up enforcement.”

You can watch the viral video here.

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'Our house is quiet as a tomb': Drunk driver who killed 'pure' 13-year-old girl in cocaine-fueled crash learns fate



A grieving Massachusetts family is attempting to put the pieces together after a drunk driver killed a "sunny" 13-year-old girl in a cocaine-fueled crash.

Gregory Goodsell, 36, attended his company's Christmas party in December 2019. Goodsell was so intoxicated that his co-workers said they tried to prevent him from driving, but he ignored them, the Boston Herald previously reported.

'After Claire died, I didn't want to live.'

Goodsell allegedly attended an after-party at a home before getting behind the wheel of his company truck. Police said Goodsell struck a tree while driving the white Ford F-250 truck, which broke his passenger-side headlight around 6:40 a.m. Dec. 29.

Goodsell reportedly ran a red light and smashed into a Subaru while he was drunk and high on cocaine in Pembroke.

"Through evidence and witness interviews, investigators determined that Goodsell was intoxicated with a BAC of 0.266, under the influence of cocaine, and passed through a red light at 67 miles per hour before broadsiding the Subaru," the office of Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz stated.

At the time of the crash, police found a bottle of whiskey, a beer can, two nip bottles, marijuana, and a pipe in Goodsell's vehicle.

“I’m so [expletive] up. … I know I shouldn’t have been driving. … I can’t believe I did this. … I drank way too much, I’m so sorry,” Goodsell reportedly told police officers at the scene of the fatal crash.

Investigators determined that the Subaru broadsided by Goodsell contained 51-year-old driver Elizabeth Zisserson; her daughter, 13-year-old Claire Zisserson; and Claire’s 13-year-old friend Kendall Zemotel.

Claire was killed in the crash.

Her mother and friend suffered what the DA's office described as “catastrophic injuries.”

Claire's friend Kendall recalled standing “speechless” while looking at herself in the mirror for the first time at the hospital and seeing a large scar on her right cheek, under her eye, with a feeding tube coming out of her nose.

“Emotionally, I think about something that I know I shouldn’t, but I really can’t help myself — what I could have done to prevent this from happening to us,” Kendall wrote in an impact statement that was read by a prosecutor in the courtroom. “I could have just gone to the bathroom before we left the house that day or taken a little longer to get ready. … I could have saved Claire’s life if I was a minute late to everything I did that morning.”

Kendall added, “Claire was my best friend, the sister I never had, and my twin. Claire was always there for me before I even realized I needed someone. It is so extremely hard to process that Claire is gone. She deserved so, so, so much more out of life.”

Claire's mother said that her emotional scars will never heal.

"After Claire died, I didn't want to live," Zisserson said in court as she wiped away tears. "The ache of Claire's loss is overwhelming to me."

"My world changed the day that Claire was killed. I don't recognize the person I am today, versus the one I used to be," the heartbroken mother explained. "I was a super-busy mom juggling sports, Scouts, carpools, school projects, away games, and everything else in daily life."

“Life was happy and busy and crazy, and we talked about the future with hope and excitement, but now I function in survival mode ruled by loss, fear, and grief," Zisserson added. "The car crash destroyed my life and caused a ripple effect of damage that can never be undone.”

"Our table of four is now three. Our house is quiet as a tomb," she expressed. "The colors of our world are dull."

'Nobody should ever have to attempt to live through the pain that I’ve caused to all these people through my careless, destructive behavior.'

Claire's father, Ken Zisserson, added, "One day Claire was here, and the next, she was gone forever."

"When someone says, 'I can't even imagine,' I reply, 'You shouldn't have to. It's not natural,'" he noted.

Claire was described as “pure” and “sunny” by those who knew her best, according to the Patriot Ledger.

Late last month, a jury convicted Goodsell of second-degree murder, motor vehicle manslaughter while operating under the influence, leaving the scene of property damage, and two counts of operating under the influence causing serious bodily injury.

Before sentencing, the anguished mother asked the judge, "Please help me keep him from ever doing this again. He can watch the sunrise every day, but Claire won't ever see another sunrise. And we won't ever escape the devastation of losing Claire."

Judge Diane Freniere sentenced Goodsell to life in prison for the murder charge and eight years in prison for seriously injuring Kendall, which will run concurrently with a six-year sentence for injuring Elizabeth Zisserson. Goodsell also will serve 12 years for manslaughter concurrently with the murder sentence.

Goodsell will be eligible for parole after serving 20 years.

“Judicial discretion does not commit to the court to assign a value to a victim’s life because every human life is incalculable,” the judge told Goodsell. “I have considered the life of an innocent, remarkable bright light, Claire Zisserson, a 13-year-old girl beloved by her family, and a compassionate and kind friend who was taken because of your criminal conduct.”

Goodsell said during sentencing, “I shamefully take responsibility for what happened.”

“Nobody should ever have to attempt to live through the pain that I’ve caused to all these people through my careless, destructive behavior,” Goodsell read from a prepared statement. “If I could go back to that day and die, instead of Claire, I would in a heartbeat.”

“The constant nightmares, never being able to sleep because of what I did that morning, that is something that I will carry with me for the remainder of my life,” he continued. “Sorry is an understatement. I sincerely apologize from the bottom of my heart.”

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Father uses app to track down teen daughters only to see their tragic fate in person: 'It's just unreal'



A father in New York state is sharing the heartbreaking account of how he learned of the tragic deaths of his two teenage daughters after using an app to track their location.

Hailey Trumble, 19, and Shelby Trumble, 17, went to the Seabreeze Amusement Park in Rochester, New York, on Aug. 1.

'It's just unreal. ... I still can't come to terms with it.'

Before the teens left the home, their father gave them $100 for the amusement park and told them he loved them, and to "have fun and behave," according to People magazine.

Brian Trumble, 45, said of the talk with his daughters earlier that morning, "Of course, they were adults. They didn't need to be told to be behaved, but this is what I always tell them."

Trumble had no idea that it would be their final face-to-face conversation.

After spending the day at the amusement park with Trumble's girlfriend, the sisters returned to her home before going back out again late that afternoon.

When a text to his daughters received no reply, Trumble used the Find My Friends app to determine their location. He saw that they had not moved from a point on a local road in the nearby town of Cato, approximately 3 miles away.

As Trumble neared the location, a police officer blocking the way stopped him, informing him that there had been a terrible car accident in which a girl had died.

"I just sat on my bumper and I couldn't stand up," Trumble recalled of the gut-wrenching moment.

Josh Lovejoy, one of the firemen at the scene of the fatal car crash, told Trumble that he stayed with Hailey right until the end.

The distraught father soon learned that Shelby also succumbed to her injuries from the deadly car accident.

The Cayuga County Sheriff's Office said in a press release that the girls were driving eastbound in their 2005 Chevy Cobalt when the "vehicle crested a hill and crossed into the opposite lane, striking a second vehicle."

The Cobalt smashed into a 2016 Jeep Cherokee being driven by a 59-year-old woman. She was rushed to the hospital with serious injuries and was said to be in stable condition, according to police.

Trumble believes his daughters were unfamiliar with the road, which he described as being "hilly" and winding.

Since his daughters' tragic deaths, the family has "been holding on to each other and just coping and trying to deal," said Trumble.

"It's just unreal," he added. "I still can't come to terms with it."

Trumble said the knowledge that Hailey and Shelby would be cremated and interred "so they'll always be together" gave him some peace.

As does telling the world about his girls, who he said were both "simple country girls" at heart.

"I want people to know their story," he said. "They were sweet and beautiful and just lovely."

"They touched so many people," Trumble continued. "Everybody that met them just loved them ... They were pretty much just figuring out what they were wanting to do."

A GoFundMe campaign has been launched to assist the family in paying for the funerals. At the time of publication, it had raised over $46,000.

A funeral service for Hailey and Shelby will be held Aug. 10 at Traub Funeral Home in Central Square, New York.

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Minnesota trooper charged in 'full throttle' crash that killed high school cheerleader weeks before graduation



A Minnesota state trooper has been criminally charged for allegedly causing a three-vehicle crash that injured five and killed a high school cheerleader just two weeks before her graduation.

Around 5:45 p.m. on May 18, Trooper Shane Roper of the Minnesota State Patrol was involved in the car crash. The 32-year-old trooper reportedly T-boned the passenger side of a Ford Focus "at full throttle" at an intersection in Rochester, Minnesota.

The Olmsted County Attorney's Office said Roper collided with the Focus at 83 mph in a 40 mph zone.

"Trooper Roper maintained a full throttle without lights or sirens," the office stated in a press release. "Investigation revealed that Trooper Roper did not come off the full throttle until the Focus started into the intersection, approximately 1.4 seconds before impact. Trooper Roper’s vehicle violently impacted the Focus."

The Ford Focus was being driven by 21-year-old Angelina Bartz, and her passengers were 19-year-old Katarina Bartz and 18-year-old Olivia Flores. The friends were on a “fun outing for Katarina’s birthday” and driving to the mall when the car accident happened, according to a GoFundMe set up for the Bartz sisters.

The car crash took the life of Flores, who succumbed to her injuries a day after the accident, according to a statement by the Rochester Police Department.

Angelina reportedly suffered a fractured rib, traumatic brain injury, bruised liver, lacerated kidney, sprained wrist and finger, whiplash, and extensive bruising. Katarina sustained a shattered pelvis requiring surgery, a fractured rib, traumatic brain injury, and severe bruising.

A third car, a Toyota Rav4, was involved in the accident, and two passengers were allegedly injured.

A ride-along passenger in Roper's cruiser was also wounded, according to police.

A law firm representing Flores' family – Restovich Braun and Associates – said Roper has a "documented history of shocking, dangerous, and unlawful driving conduct while on duty."

The firm claimed Roper was disciplined for four previous crashes "due to excessive speed, inattentive driving, or both."

Olmsted County Attorney Mark Ostrem said in a statement, "Trooper Roper, violating his duty in such a gross fashion, caused the death of a young lady celebrating her impending graduation from high school. Several other persons suffered serious injuries. Roper’s conduct violated the State Patrol’s Core Values. As with any other person driving recklessly and without regard to very basic rules of the road, Mr. Roper’s conduct cannot be tolerated."

Trooper Roper reportedly hit speeds as high as 135 mph — 99 mph over the speed limit — without using his emergency lights and sirens during one of the four times he was speeding on May 18 before smashing into the side of the Focus.

On July 9, Roper was charged with second-degree manslaughter and criminal vehicular homicide in connection with her death, the Olmsted County Attorney’s office said in a statement.

Flores was a cheerleader for the Owatonna High School Huskies and was set to graduate in two weeks.

A separate GoFundMe set up for the Flores family said of her parents, "Instead of planning Olivia’s graduation party and celebrating her next chapter in life, Steph and Carlos are left picking up the pieces of this tragedy."

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Fetterman And Wife Hospitalized After Car Accident

'The crash investigation remains active and ongoing'

Illinois HS senior killed in 'fast and furious' crash before graduation by alleged drunk driver racing 131 mph: 'Most genuine human'



A high school senior's promising future was tragically cut short three weeks before graduation after he was involved in a devastating car crash that split his car in half. Authorities say the Illinois teen was killed in a "fast and furious" accident caused by a drunk driver racing at 131 mph and had his lights off.

Around 11 p.m. on May 12, 21-year-old Taeyoung Kim was reportedly racing his 2021 Ford Mustang at speeds exceeding 130 mph in Glenview, Illinois – a suburb approximately 20 miles northwest of Chicago.

Police said Kim's own dashcam captured him speeding, aggressively passing other vehicles, and running a red light.

Witnesses claimed to have observe Kim driving with his headlights off, according to court documents. Kim allegedly turned his headlights back on as he was entering an intersection. However, it would be too late.

Kim's Mustang plowed into a Mercedes being driven by 17-year-old Marko Niketic.

The impact of the crash was so immense that it split Niketic's car in half – the front half was on the road and the back half flew into a nearby fence of a backyard.

Citing the bond court proffer, WMAQ-TV reported that Kim's vehicle was traveling at 131 mph just 2.5 seconds before the crash and 122 mph at the time of impact, according to the vehicle's black box.

The speed limit on Lake Avenue at that location of the car accident is 35 miles per hour.

Niketic was pronounced dead at the crime scene.

Niketic's 16-year-old girlfriend, who was in the passenger seat at the time of the car crash, suffered a subarachnoid hemorrhage, hematoma of the brain, a fracture of the pelvis vertebrae, and hyper-density of the left frontal lobe of the brain with loss of consciousness and seizure.

A passenger in Kim's vehicle also sustained significant injuries, including a fractured back and a severed artery.

Niketic's unnamed girlfriend and Kim's passenger were both rushed to the hospital in critical condition.

The girlfriend was reportedly released from the hospital on Friday.

Kim allegedly sustained a broken femur in the car crash.

A blood test revealed that Kim had a blood alcohol level of .088 – above the legal limit. The test also found that he had cannabis in his system, according to court docs.

Police found a bong, rolling papers, a one-hitter cannabis pipe with residue, and two plastic containers with cannabis residue inside Kim’s vehicle during their investigation.

Kim was arrested on Friday and charged with two counts of aggravated DUI causing death, reckless homicide, aggravated DUI causing great bodily harm, DUI of alcohol, DUI of drugs, and several traffic violations, including speeding 35 mph over the limit.

Kim is being held without bond.

Kim made his first court appearance on Saturday, when the judge said the "fast and furious deadly accident" was a "brazen disregard for human life."

His next court date is scheduled for May 24.

Niketic's heartbreaking death happened exactly three weeks before he was set to graduate from Glenbrook South High School on June 2. The teenager's funeral was held two days before he was to attend his senior prom.

Last week, a vigil was held near the crash site with Niketic's heartbroken family in attendance.

Preston Shute, a friend of Niketic, told NBC Chicago, "He's one of those people, you meet him, and he’s glowing. The most genuine human ever. He had a lot of stuff ahead of him. I can’t really process it."

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Illegal alien suspected of killing Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto's adviser stole into US under Biden's watch



The Biden administration's refusal to properly secure the southern border and enforce federal immigration law has all but guaranteed grief for countless American families. On April 6, unlawfully imported atrocity was visited upon the family of a senior state adviser to Nevada Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D).

Kurt Englehart, a 38-year-old champion for victims of child abuse and an advocate for its prevention, perished in a horrific car accident Saturday morning in southeastern Reno. The Nevada Appeal indicated that the suspect responsible for the Ohio native's demise fled the scene but was later tracked down by police and identified as Elmer Rueda-Linares.

Rueda-Linares, 18, was initially charged with a felony hit-and-run; however, that charge has since been changed to a failure to stop at the scene of an accident. He is now being held at the Washoe County Jail on a $100,000 bond.

The Reno Gazette-Journal reported that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement placed an immigration detainer on Rueda-Linares following his arrest.

The DHS informed the Gazette-Journal that "Rueda entered the United States March 12, 2021, at or near the Rio Grande City, Texas, Port of Entry without inspection by an immigration official."

"United States Customs and Border Protection arrested him, and he was later released on his own recognizance June 22, 2021," added the DHS.

Cortez Masto said in a statement, "Paul and I and our entire team are heartbroken to learn of my longtime staffer Kurt Englehart's death."

"For the past eight years, Kurt proudly served in both my campaign and official offices. A beloved figure across the state, Kurt was always eager to help a constituent at a moment's notice," continued the statement. "He touched many lives, and I know almost everyone in Northern Nevada has a great story about Kurt helping them or making them laugh. Kurt was a dedicated public servant, a loyal friend, and a loving father."

"Sen. Cortez Masto looks forward to justice being served and has confidence in the local police and prosecutors," Cortez Masto's spokeswoman Lauren Wodarski told the Gazette-Journal.

While keen now on justice being served, the National Republican Senatorial Committee indicated that in recent years, Cortez Masto has embraced "radical, open border policies" and "worked to enable Joe Biden and the crisis along the southern border."

For instance, she "voted to end Title 42 without a plan"; incentivized legal immigration around the time of Rueda-Linares' unlawful entry into the country by voting to "send taxpayer-funded stimulus checks" to illegal aliens; voted to defund border security programs; and voted against the establishment of a deficit-neutral reserve fund relating to prioritizing the arrest of illegal aliens charged with a crime resulting in death or serious bodily injury.

While in recent months Cortez Masto has changed course, calling on President Joe Biden to prioritize border security, the damage has evidently been done.

According to the GoFundMe campaign raising money for the victim's family, "Kurt's biggest joy in life was his son and his family."

Englehart is one of many Americans to lose their lives on account of illegal aliens in recent weeks and months.

An illegal alien from Venezuela was charged last month with killing a 12-year-old American boy. In December, Endrina Bracho was driving at 75 mph in a 40 mph zone and down the wrong side of a road in St. Louis County, Missouri. The St. Louis Dispatch reported that the illegal alien drove straight into a Jeep carrying an American family.

Travis J. Wolfe, a 12-year-old boy in the Jeep, was taken to St. Louis Children's Hospital, where he was placed on life support and ultimately succumbed to his injuries last month. According to the citizen's obituary, Travis had an "infectious laugh and smile."

Because of an illegal alien, a GoFundMe campaign was also started for Wolfe's family.

Rogelio Ortiz-Olivas, a five-time-deported illegal alien, ran over a 10-year-old Texas boy in February. Alex Wise of Midland was airlifted to Lubbock, where he died the next day, reported the Center Square.

One of Alex Wise's aunts indicated he was the "sweetest, coolest, funniest little boy you would ever meet."

Because of an illegal alien, a GoFundMe campaign was started for Wise's family.

Demetrio Moreno-Atlahua, an illegal alien facing a pair of felony charges, allegedly ran a stop sign on Feb. 24, then plowed his van into a 74-year-old American motorcyclist. Moreno-Atlahua and his undocumented passengers reportedly fled the scene of the crime on foot, reported WCJB-TV.

It's unclear whether the elderly victim's family also had to raise money to pay down the cost of his fatal encounter with an illegal alien.

An illegal alien from El Salvador was arrested earlier this month in connection to the murder and dismemberment of 25-year-old Fraylee Hernandez.

An illegal alien from Haiti allegedly butchered his two roommates in New York State on April 1. Blaze News previously reported Orange County Executive Steven Neuhaus described the bloodletting as "one of the most brutal murders" that some in law enforcement had ever seen.

Blaze News has elsewhere detailed additional instances where sanctuary policies and a lax approach to illegal immigration have endangered American lives.

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