Murder charges are part of a six-count felony complaint filed today by the Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office against 20-year-old Ralph Ellsworth White, III of Vallejo.
The charges stem from a short high-speed police pursuit that resulted in a vehicle collision that took the life of a mother and son in Rodeo.
The incident occurred on March 23 around 7:30 pm when Hercules Police were notified by the Contra Costa Sheriff’s Office of a stolen Mazda SUV traveling eastbound on I-80 toward the City of Hercules. A peace officer with Hercules Police saw the stolen vehicle exit Willow Avenue and attempted to pull the vehicle over. White accelerated the SUV away from the police vehicle, and shortly after, collided with another vehicle near Parker Avenue and 4th Street in Rodeo. White fled from the crash on foot, but officers found him at a nearby liquor store. He was placed under arrest and booked into the Martinez Detention Facility in Martinez.
The impact of the collision killed the driver of the vehicle, 31-year-old Ryniqueka Dowell, and injured her six-year-old twin sons – one of whom died on March 27th from crash-related injuries.
The other boy suffered a broken leg and other injuries.
White will be arraigned on March 29th at 1:30 pm in Martinez on the following charges: Two counts of murder with two enhancements for committing the offenses while on bail. White also faces felonies for fleeing a pursuing peace officer’s vehicle and causing serious bodily injury, a hit and run resulting in the death or injury to another person, carrying a loaded unregistered firearm, and receiving stolen property (i.e., a motor vehicle).
20 comments
NO PLEA BARGAIN ! ! !
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There is a reason CA has the death penalty.
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But your Governor is too much of a coward to flush the toilet of society.
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Nancy jr,’s (Gavin) priority is to do whatever it takes to promote himself. He does not represent the will the people.
The governor’s office would have no role in deciding that this matter is not a capital murder case.
Indeed, capital murder charges would be highly unusual, perhaps unprecedented, where a fleeing car theft suspect kills bystanders in a collision. The only enumerated special circumstances that MIGHT apply is codified as California Penal Code section 190.2(a)(5), which provides that “[t]he penalty for a defendant who is found guilty of murder in the first degree is death or imprisonment … for life without the possibility of parole if … [t]he murder was committed for the purpose of avoiding or preventing a lawful arrest, or perfecting or attempting to perfect, an escape from lawful custody.”
While subsection (a)(5) does not expressly provide that such a killing must be intentional, I’d expect the courts to would construe the phrase “FOR THE PURPOSE of preventing a lawful arrest” to contemplate a willful murder for the purpose of evading capture (such as shooting a civilian attempting to apprehend a fleeing suspect), rather than a murder (such as here) caused by the fleeing suspect’s conscious disregard in the course of reckless criminal conduct.
LL,
Your first sentence is incorrect in that the Governor’s Office has decided that NOTHING in California is a capital offense.
Larry, great job of mincing words. You are correct that greaseball has no input as to capital murder charges, but he had DIRECT input in carrying out death sentences when, in 2008, he issued executive orders pausing executions in the state indefinitely. This was immediately after the California electorate had voted in favor of maintaining the death penalty.
@Chicken Little – You’re woefully misinformed. The governor’s office lacks any authority whatsoever to repeal California Penal Code section 190.2, which enumerates the bases under which prosecutors may file capital murder charges.
Doing so would be the sole remit of the legislative branch, including the Assembly and State Senate or the electorate acting in a legislative capacity vis-a-vis a ballot initiative or referendum).
Good that they are charging him. Publicize it so future drivers who run from the police start thinking twice. Maybe
I doubt the people who cause these horrible crimes and run from the police even know how to read these messages.
They would know if the cost of doing crime goes up.
@EBunners, I tend to agree with you, even if the know how to read, and most likely they do, they probably don’t read about crime, being they are too busy committing crime. I also think thinking ahead and critical thinking is their strong point.
Ups, should of course read “not their strong point”
The people prosecuting this fellow(picture?) are the same people building the bullet train.
His mugshot is in this news video:
https://tinyurl.com/y98whyxp
@ Jellyfinger: oops! They let that one slip, didn’t they?
Little fella will have a different expression when he meets BUBBA . . . .
Lock him up and throw away the key…….. No plea bargain less than 25 to life, no parole.
Becton have him out the revolving door already? 🙁
God help this guy if I’m on the Jury. But then again, maybe he’ll get lucky and have a jury of waffling, spineless leftys who feel guilt over handing out long prison sentences.
What would Gene Burns do?
Professor, If you are at all familiar with the late KGO talk show host Gene Burns, he would certainly want him locked up for life. I tend to think a jury left, right, the middle, would be appalled that a mother and son were killed due to no fault of their own, and send him away for life. If I was on the jury that how I would vote.
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