A man was charged with three counts of murder after causing a crash while driving under the influence that killed three women who were returning from a baby shower in Pomona, prosecutors said March 5.
Victor Siharath, 36, of Pomona, ran a red light while speeding and then crashed into a vehicle that was carrying five individuals, according to District Attorney George Gascón.
The crash resulted in two other passengers being injured, including a 12-year-old girl.
The incident occurred March 2 around 11 p.m. at White Avenue and Phillips Boulevard, according to the Pomona Police Department.
The three women who were killed were identified as Alejandra Olaez, 33, of Pomona; Yesenia Ochoa, 38, also of Pomona; and Lorena Morales, 58, of Montclair, who was driving the vehicle at the time.
The other two passengers who were in the vehicle were Jamie Garcia, Ms. Morales’s husband, and Noemi Olaez, 12, the daughter of Ms. Olaez.
Both were critically injured, according to Mr. Gascón.
Relatives said Ms. Ochoa was in the process of adopting her nephew when she was killed. He told ABC7 at a vigil Sunday that Ms. Ochoa was “a loving mother.”
“I feel like her time was way too short,” Brian Gonzalez, 11, said. “Although I do know she died peacefully and she died loving me. I wanted her to see me grow up.”
Mr. Siharath had been convicted of DUI before in San Bernardino County. At that time he was given a legal warning informing him that if he killed someone while driving under the influence again he might receive a murder charge.
