Asha Weir and Niamh Rolston (Instagram/@niamhrolston), Deslyn Williams ( video on her Instagram @desyln.williams) and Peyton Stewart (LinkedIn), Fraser Bohm during a sobriety test after the crash (KTLA screengrab)
A 22-year-old BMW driver suspected of vehicular manslaughter who was previously released from custody as the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department continued investigating the catastrophic Oct. 17 crash that killed four college seniors in Malibu, California, now faces a murder case and $8 million bail.
Fraser Michael Bohm was arrested at 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday and booked at LASD’s Lost Hills Station with a hefty bail amount that evening, jail records reviewed by Law&Crime show. The arrest took place one week to the day that Bohm allegedly sped down Pacific Coast Highway in a BMW, “lost control of his vehicle,” hit three parked vehicles and killed Niamh Rolston, 20, Peyton Stewart, 21, Asha Weir, 21, and Deslyn Williams, 21.
Each of the victims were college seniors and sorority sisters studying at Pepperdine University’s Seaver College of Liberal Arts.
Bohm, formerly known locally as a baseball player at Oaks Christian High School, turned 22 just one day before that crash.
Local ABC affiliate KABC reported that Bohm’s booking on suspicion of four counts of murder charges followed Los Angeles deputies’ execution of search warrants, a traffic investigation of the speed he was driving at, and toxicology testing.
“When a case is presented to the District Attorney’s Office, you need to present supporting evidence for the specific charges being requested for filing within 48 hours,” Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department reportedly said, explaining why Bohm was initially released from custody last week. “In this specific case, the evidence including toxicology, speed analysis, execution of search warrants, etc. was still pending and took additional time to collect.”
According to investigators, the crash occurred around 8:30 p.m. on Oct. 17 in the 21600 block of Pacific Coast Highway and the victims died at the scene. Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department Capt. Jennifer Seetoo said at press conference last week that Bohm was traveling westbound in his BMW when he “lost control of his vehicle and swerved towards the shoulder of the north side of Pacific Coast Highway,” killing Rolston, Stewart, Weir, and Williams.
What began as a suspected vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence case is much more serious now.
Seetoo pleaded with the community and elected officials to enact policy changes that will prevent fatal crashes like this from happening again, saying that “Too many people on this stretch of the highway […] have been killed.”
“We have to look at law enforcement differently. We have got to change with the times,” the captain urged. “That’s my call to action, to the community. Let’s partner together to save lives. Elected officials, I need your help. Let’s partner together and save lives.”
Pepperdine University President Jim Gash previously called the deaths of Rolston, Stewart, Weir, and Williams “an unimaginable tragedy” that “no parent would ever want to endure.”
“You are not alone,” Gash said. “Pepperdine stands with you as you traverse these challenging waters. To the students who loved, lived with, and were in community with the departed members of our Pepperdine family, my heart is broken with yours. I join you in your grief as we process this profound loss.”
Pepperdine University’s statement identifying the victims said each “brought a unique gift and spirit to the University.”
“[W]e deeply grieve the unfulfilled hopes and aspirations of our precious community members,” the school said.
At a memorial service for the victims, friend Aubrey Lewis said “Peyton, Asha, Niamh and Deslyn were our best friends” and “They were everything.”
The university’s provost said Peyton, Asha, Niamh and Deslyn would receive posthumous degrees in 2024, citing their “high record of achievement both socially and academically.”
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