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An Orem man charged with hitting and killing two BYU college students was ordered Thursday to face trial on two expenses of manslaughter, a second-degree felony.
A Provo decide additionally ordered Caesar Castellon-Flores, 21, to face trial on a cost of aggravated assault, a third-degree felony, for his involvement in a crash on Oct. 15, 2021. Police say he was rushing and driving with out a present license on the time of the crash.
Three ladies had been in a Chevy Malibu making a left flip onto State Avenue when a Jeep Cherokee tried to hurry by means of the intersection after the site visitors mild turned yellow and hit their automotive, in accordance with police who testified at a preliminary listening to Thursday.
Hailee York and Ashlyn Hanzon, each passengers within the automotive, died from blunt drive accidents sustained within the crash, in accordance with autopsies that had been introduced on the listening to. Each York, of Lehi, and Hanzon, of Pearland, Texas, had been 21 years outdated. The motive force of the automotive was hospitalized however didn't have life-threatening accidents.
The crash occurred at 400 South and State Avenue in Orem. Orem Police Cpl. Andrew Thorup mentioned particles from the collision was far worse than any he had seen beforehand in his profession.
Castellon-Flores was driving not less than 63 mph as he approached the intersection, and he pressed the accelerator as the sunshine turned yellow, in accordance with police testimony on the preliminary listening to. A knowledge recorder within the automotive exhibits that he was going 73 mph simply earlier than the collision, on a street with a 40 mph pace restrict, police mentioned.
Orem police detective Dakota Hoover, who evaluated the crash, additionally mentioned that an altered tire dimension in Castellon-Flores' automotive may imply the precise speeds of the automotive had been even increased.
Protection lawyer Stephen Allred argued that the ladies within the automotive ought to have yielded the best of option to Castellon-Flores as a result of they had been turning left on the yellow mild when he was going straight by means of the intersection. However Hoover testified that though Castellon-Flores had the best of approach, he forfeited that when he was rushing.
Allred famous that if the automotive had not turned left, his shopper may solely have been cited with rushing. He additionally mentioned that on the pace Castellon-Flores was shifting when the opposite automotive began to show, he possible wouldn't have been capable of cease earlier than the intersection.
Deputy Utah County Lawyer Tye Christensen, nonetheless, argued that as a result of Castellon-Flores was going a lot quicker than could be anticipated on the street, the driving force of the opposite automotive could not have realized they weren't capable of safely flip.
Christensen famous that there isn't any debate over how the crash occurred, and that the 2 college students had been killed from the drive of the accident. He mentioned the manslaughter expenses are justified as a result of Castellon-Flores was driving recklessly.
Fourth District Choose Kraig Powell decided that sufficient proof to help the costs involving recklessness had been introduced and he ordered Castellon-Flores' case to be introduced in a jury trial.
"Whereas which may be an in depth name in lots of situations, for the needs of this preliminary listening to the courtroom finds that the chance that the defendant took was unjustifiable as a result of, No. 1, he was rushing and, No. 2, the proof exhibits that when the sunshine turned yellow that he didn't try to cease, however as an alternative accelerated," Powell mentioned.
Castellon-Flores is anticipated to enter a plea within the case at a listening to on March 28.