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Sina Khankhanian | Sheriff's Dept. Photo
A 26-year-old man was charged with murder today after his involvement in a weekend crash that left a 13-year-old girl dead. The incident happened Saturday after 5 p.m. when Emily Rose Shane left a friends house and was walking on Pacific Coast Highway near Heathercliff Drive. A 2008 four-door Mitsubishi Lancer, driven by a 26-year-old San Fernando Valley man, struck Rose before hitting a power pole and turning over, according to ABC7. Sina Khankhanian of Winnetka was arrested after investigators collected evidence that indicated he may have crashed the car on purpose. Although he was reportedly not drunk, witnesses said he was seen driving aggressively and skid marks showed that the vehicle was traveling in excess of 60 miles per hour.
Today, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office filed murder charges against Khankhanian. "Based on the evidence we reviewed from the Sheriff's Department, we felt this was the appropriate charge to file," Sandi Gibbons, a D.A. Public Information Officer, told LAist. "We will not discuss the evidence until testified to in court."
The complaint alleges malice aforethought--second degree murder in this case--and use of a deadly weapon, the vehicle. Judge Keith L. Schwartz ordered the Khankhanian jailed on the $3 million bail recommended by the prosecution. If convicted, he faces a maximum prison term of life with the possibility of parole.
[Update: Homicide Detective Mark Lillienfeld asks that if there was anybody that day on the Pacific Coast Highway or Topanga Canyon Boulevard that may have seen Khankhanian in his 2008 four-door Mitsubishi Lancer, to call (323) 890-5500 and ask for him or his partner, Detective Troy Ewing.]
In an unrelated crash last Friday, about four miles west of Saturday's crash, a 19-year-old driver drifted into oncoming lanes after he fell asleep behind wheel. An unidentified 43-year-old Santa Monica man was killed, according to MyFoxLA.
