A Jan. 2 preliminary hearing was set for the driver of a truck which overturned, killing three undocumented immigrants, in Boulevard during a chase by U.S. Border Patrol agents.
Luis Alberto Virgen, 21, pleaded not guilty to three counts of second-degree murder when he appeared Dec. 18 before El Cajon Superior Court Judge Robert Amador.
The chase occurred Nov. 29 after Virgen refused to pull over after Border Patrol agents attempted to stop the vehicle after it got onto Interstate 8 from Buckman Springs Road.
Virgen was driving recklessly, weaving in and out of traffic, according to authorities, at an estimated speed of 100 mph at times. A spike strip was placed on the road, and the truck ran over it while it was raining.
The vehicle overturned, ejecting 10 people east of Crestwood Road on a dirt and rock embankment.
Erika Gonzalez-Cardoso, 38, was killed from multiple blunt force injuries, according to the San Diego County medical examiner’s office.
Two men, 34 and 22, both died from blunt force injuries, but their names have not yet been released. They were all pronounced dead at the scene.
Bail remains set at $3 million and Virgen remains in jail.
Deputy District Attorney Clayton Carr told reporters the murder charges were filed because “the defendant acted with conscious disregard for life.”
Virgen is also charged with three counts of gross vehicular manslaughter and seven counts of reckless driving causing injuries. The surviving immigrants in the truck were also arrested and some of them may be witnesses in the case.
