A 28-year-old man with three previous driving under the influence convictions is facing a life sentence in jail after allegedly striking and killing a 74-year-old man with his car.
The victim, Richard Frost, was fatally wounded about 4 p.m. April 10, after his car was struck by a Chevy Malibu on Newport Boulevard, the Orange County District Attorney’s office said in an April 13 statement.
When Frost got out of his car in attempt to stop the other driver from leaving the scene, he was struck by the fleeing sedan, and later died in hospital.
“A 74-year-old man was left for dead in the middle of the street, tossed aside as if he never mattered, because of the selfish decision of a stranger to get behind the wheel while intoxicated,” Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said in a press release.
“His life may not have mattered to the driver who left him for dead, but it matters to me and it matters to the Orange County District Attorney’s office. We will fight for justice for him and everyone who loved him.”
Stewart Waithanji is facing three felony charges, with three felonies of murder, driving under the influence, and driving under the influence with a blood alcohol content of .08 percent or higher.
He was arrested shortly after the crash in the parking lot of a Los Alamitos bar.
Waithanji has three prior driving under the influence convictions in Iowa, and was wanted on two arrest warrants for driving under the influence charges dating back to September and October 2019.
Waithanji’s hearing is set for April 30. If he is convicted of all charges, he will receive maximum sentence of life in jail.
He is being held on $2 million bail.
