A Maryland man who state police had already charged with murder by car and quite a few different felonies after a crash that killed a Conestoga Christian Faculty trainer final month has now been charged with homicide.
Police had already charged 20-year-old Christofer Pineda-Gasca, of North East, Maryland, with murder by car, murder by car whereas driving beneath the affect, accidents involving demise or harm whereas not licensed, fleeing or trying to elude police, flight to keep away from apprehension, receiving stolen property, 10 counts of recklessly endangering one other individual and 4 different abstract violations for the April 4 crash.
Pineda-Gasca led police on a high-speed chase that ended when he crashed into 32-year-old Alicia Whisler’s car outdoors Conestoga Christian Faculty within the 2700 block of Essential Avenue (Route 23) in Caernarvon Township shortly after 9 a.m. that day, police mentioned.
Pineda-Gasca has now additionally been charged with legal murder, third-degree homicide, 5 felony counts of aggravated assault, driving beneath the affect, receiving stolen property and two misdemeanor drug violations. The brand new prices had been filed Wednesday.
A message to a spokesperson for the Lancaster County District Legal professional’s Workplace asking to clarify the reasoning behind the brand new prices was not instantly returned Saturday afternoon. Pineda-Gasca’s lawyer, Hillary Ryan Sheridan, additionally didn’t reply to a request for remark.
Pineda-Gasca was attempting to cross Whisler’s car whereas driving within the oncoming lane of visitors when the crash occurred, in keeping with the brand new affidavit.
Whisler, a trainer at Conestoga Christian Faculty, died within the crash. Her 5-year-old little one additionally was significantly injured within the collision, struggling a damaged collar bone and concussionlike signs, in keeping with a brand new affidavit of possible trigger.
Pineda-Gasca’s actions through the chase that preceded the crash had been “extraordinarily excessive threat” and he fled police “in a extremely unsafe and reckless method,” evading officers by driving at speeds as excessive as 85 mph in velocity restrict zones as little as 25 mph and touring into oncoming visitors no less than 9 completely different instances, in keeping with the affidavit.
In the course of the chase, Pineda-Gasca additionally dedicated a number of different visitors violations similar to dashing by way of crimson gentle indicators and cease indicators, police mentioned.
In an interview with police after the crash, Pineda-Gasca blamed the reason for the collision on his brakes malfunctioning. An inspection of the car confirmed that malfunctioning brakes weren’t an element within the crash.
The brand new affidavit additionally consists of an addendum with a number of new claims, similar to that Pineda-Gasca had stolen the registration plate on the car he was driving on the time of the crash and that he was a “intermediary” between a Chester County drug supplier and customers, in keeping with police.
In accordance with the brand new affidavit, Pineda-Gasca initially instructed police he didn’t know the registration plate on the Infiniti i35 he was driving on the time had been stolen, shifting the blame to the vendor he had bought it from in March.
However geolocation information from Pineda-Gasca’s telephone reveals he visited the North East, Maryland, tackle the place the plate was stolen on the evening it was taken, police mentioned. The earlier proprietor of the Infiniti had eliminated the registration and title from the car, which investigators consider is what led Pineda-Gasca to steal a special plate.
A toxicology report confirmed Pineda-Gasca was beneath the affect of THC on the time of the crash, with geolocation information exhibiting that he visited a identified drug supplier in Coatesville about an hour earlier than police first tried to drag him over, in keeping with the affidavit.
Pineda-Gasca was confined to Lancaster County Jail after he was denied bail by Choose Raymond Sheller throughout a preliminary arraignment Wednesday, courtroom information present. He’s scheduled to face a proper arraignment June 10.