The man accused of hitting four Pepperdine University students in Malibu in his BMW has claimed he was followed in the lead-up to the horrific crash.
Fraser Bohm, 22, was initially charged with involuntary manslaughter before being rearrested on Tuesday on four counts of murder in the deaths of Niamh Rolston, 20, Peyton Stewart, Asha Weir and Deslyn Williams, all 21.
At his hearing Wednesday, Bohm pleaded not guilty to the murder charges, claiming he was trying to evade someone who was aggressively pursuing him, which resulted in him losing control of his 2016 BMW.
Bail for Bohm, who has no criminal record, was reduced from $8 million to $4 million at the hearing.
The star baseball player reportedly lost control of his vehicle while driving on the Pacific Coast Highway on October 17 – the night after his 22nd birthday – before colliding with parked vehicles while the college graduates were nearby stood.
All four were pronounced dead at the scene, and Bohm was initially released after being charged with gross involuntary manslaughter “to allow investigators time to collect the evidence necessary for the most robust criminal charges and conviction.” officials said.
After the trial ended, Bohm’s relatives, some of whom live with him in a luxurious $8 million Malibu cliffside mansion in Malibu, were seen huddled together as they left the courthouse.
Fraser Bohm, 22, who allegedly struck and killed four Pepperdine University graduates in his BMW in Malibu, was in court Wednesday after being charged with murder
Bohm’s family pictured leaving the courthouse Wednesday, where his bail was reduced from $8 million to $4 million
After the 22-year-old appeared in court for the first time since the tragedy, the suspected killer’s relatives were seen huddled together, arms wrapped around each other
Niamh Ralston (left) was one of four Pepperdine University students who died in Malibu on Tuesday night when a BMW crashed into a parked car and then hit them, while Peyton Stewart (right) recently completed a coveted internship at TikTok
Desilyn Williams (left), a Georgia native, pictured on her LinkedIn page, and Asha Weir (right), who was scheduled to graduate from Seaver College of Liberal Arts in the spring
Bohm remains behind bars while the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department says it is “working tirelessly to ensure justice is served for the victims’ families.”
Honors were given to the four Pepperdine seniors after they lost their lives on the dangerous stretch of road that has earned a reputation as a dangerous highway and earned the nicknames “Blood Alley” and “Dead Man’s Curve.”
The 6-foot-3, 190-pound former standout high school athlete, who was uninjured in the accident, allegedly rammed his BMW into a line of parked cars as students waited near a Pepperdine fraternity house.
Witnesses claimed that Bohm attempted to flee the scene immediately after the collision before being arrested by stunned onlookers.
Footage obtained by KTLA from the night of the crash showed a grim-faced Bohm being given a field sobriety test by police as the mangled remains of his red BMW were towed away.
In a news release after the charges against Bohm were escalated to murder, investigators said the development came only after toxicology and speed analyzes were conducted and search warrants were issued.
Exclusive photos obtained by illustrate the dangers of the sharp curve where the accident occurred, as angry Malibu residents blasted city officials at a hostile town hall meeting on Monday to demand safety improvements to the highway.
“How many deaths are there before something is done?” a tearful resident told the Malibu City Council at the meeting. There have been 49 fatal accidents on the road in the last decade.
The Pacific Coast Highway, the stretch of road where the horrific accident occurred, is considered a dangerous stretch. In 10 years, 49 people were killed in traffic
Pictured are LR victims Asha Weir, Niamh Rolston, Peyton Stewart and Deslyn Williams sharing a meal with friends just weeks before they were mowed down and killed
Flowers were placed at the scene of the accident for the four Pepperdine seniors who were killed
Signs of the accident can still be seen at the scene, including what appears to be blood on a wall
While it’s unclear what Bohm does for a living now, videos unearthed by show he was a highly rated high school pitcher and played for Oaks Christian School before graduating.
The $31,250-a-year private prep school near Los Angeles counts Sofia Richie and Mariel Hemingway’s model daughter Dree among its graduates.
previously revealed that Bohm’s mother Brooke, 57, bought the speeding car that killed the four seniors with a $25,000 down payment in 2017 – his father Chris, 59, paid the remaining installments.
According to an agreement finalizing the couple’s divorce in 2018 and obtained exclusively by , the vehicle was gifted to Bohm on his 18th birthday.
The settlement also reveals details about his family’s lavish lifestyle — including the remote, gated “estate” in Malibu that Bohm’s mother received after the divorce.
His lavish property is said to be in a “celebrity enclave” and includes a bespoke chef’s kitchen and terraced gardens.
The home was listed for sale in late September for $9,750,000, but within a week the price was reduced to $8,795,000.
Bohm is the youngest of three siblings. His sisters Hunter (25) and Haiden (24) also live in the house with their mother, a photographer.
previously revealed that Bohm’s mother, Brooke, 57, bought the speeding car that killed the four seniors with a $25,000 deposit in 2017 – the remaining bill was paid in installments by his father, Christopher, 59, paid
Bohm still lives at home on his $8.7 million gated “estate” in Malibu, which was given to Bohm’s mother when his parents divorced
Sisters Haiden, 24, and Hunter, 25, also live in the family’s $8.7 million Malibu home with their mother, a photographer, and their brother, a former baseball star
In a statement released Wednesday, Pepperdine President Jim Gash confirmed the identities of the four women and said the accident had broken his heart.
“To the students who loved, lived with, and lived in community with the deceased members of our Pepperdine family: my heart is broken with yours,” the statement said.
“I join in your sadness as we process this profound loss.”
Connie Horton, vice president for student affairs, added, “In this time of immense sadness and heartache, we stand together as a community and turn to our faith and each other to find hope and healing in the midst of this tragedy.”
“Each student who died brought a unique gift and spirit to the university, and we deeply mourn the unfulfilled hopes and aspirations of our precious community members.”
A memorial service for all four victims was held Thursday morning at the school’s Malibu campus.