| For Immediate Release Case # TBA December 30, 2013 |
Susan Kang Schroeder Chief of Staff Office: 714-347-8408 Cell: 714-292-2718 Farrah Emami
|
DRUNKEN, SPEEDING DRIVER CHARGED WITH MURDERING SLEEPING MAN BY CRASHING INTO VICTIM’S HOUSE WITH CAR
SANTA ANA – A drunken, speeding driver has been charged with murdering a sleeping man by crashing into the victim’s bedroom with his car. Kourosh Keshmiri, 27, Mission Viejo, is charged with one felony count of murder and faces a maximum sentence of 15 years to life in state prison if convicted. He is being held on $1 million bail and is expected to be arraigned tomorrow, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2013, in Department CJ-1, Central Jail, Santa Ana. The time is to be determined.
Keshmiri is charged in a separate case (Case #13HM07953) from June 2013 with one misdemeanor count each of driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol with a prior, driving with a blood alcohol level of .08 percent or more with a prior, and sentencing enhancements and allegations for having a blood alcohol over .15 percent and having a prior DUI conviction from 2010. He faces a pre-trial hearing Jan. 23, 2014, in Department H-7, Harbor Justice Center, Newport Beach, in this case.
At approximately 4:00 a.m. on Dec. 29, 2013, Keshmiri is accused of speeding over 50 mph in a 25 mph residential neighborhood in Mission Viejo. He is accused of losing control of his car and crashing into a home, driving into the front bedroom where 60-year-old victim Kenneth Jackson was sleeping in his bed.
When Orange County Sheriff’s Department (OCSD) deputies arrived, the defendant is accused of displaying objective signs of intoxication and performed poorly on a field sobriety test.
The victim died as a result of his injuries.
The defendant is accused of having a prior DUI conviction from 2010, and was advised at the time of his conviction that he could be charged with murder if he killed another person while driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
The investigation by OCSD is ongoing.
Senior Deputy District Attorney Jennifer Walker of the Homicide Unit is prosecuting this case.