On Monday, a judge in California decided that the charges against a man accused of the tragic deaths of four Pepperdine University students will proceed.

Fraser Michael Bohm, 24, faces four murder charges related to the 2023 deaths of Alpha Phi sorority members: Niamh Rolston, 20; Peyton Stewart, 21; Asha Weir, 21; and Deslyn Williams, 21, according to CrimeOnline.

During a court session on Monday morning, Judge Thomas Rubinson denied a motion by Bohm’s defense team to dismiss the charges, even though they argued he was not impaired by drugs or alcohol at the time of the incident, as reported by ABC 7.

The defense also contended that there was insufficient evidence for murder charges, claiming Bohm was fleeing from a road-rage driver when the crash occurred.

According to FOX 11 Los Angeles, Bohm is alleged to have lost control and collided with three parked cars along the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu on October 17, 2023. He was reportedly driving his BMW at speeds exceeding 100 mph in an area where the speed limit is 45 mph.

The crash caused parked vehicles to strike the four victims, who were walking along the shoulder of the highway after exiting their own vehicle.

“Speed cannot be treated as malice, according to California law. And the prosecution must have proof of implied malice for a murder charge and the prosecution does not have that,” Bohm’s attorney, Alan Jackson, argued.

The prosecution argued that “the defendant clearly drove in a reckless and dangerous manner.”

“Here, the defendant drove 59 miles per hour over the speed limit on what is essentially a residential street,” Deputy District Attorney Nathan Bartos wrote.

“There is no excuse which can justify the danger he posed at those speeds, certainly not trying to flee possible road rage, a contention for which there was no evidence, nor did the defendant ever mention it to deputies.”

The judge agreed.

“There is no doubt that this man (Bohm) was driving extremely fast on PCH…close to, even above 100mph,” Rubinson said.

“There is no evidence of a road rage incident before the crash. The defendant knew how dangerous it was to drive at 100mph…that his actions had a high degree of probability of causing death.”

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Shortly after the crash, attorneys for the victims’ parents, who filed a lawsuit against the state, said there wasn’t protection in place for the crash site, notoriously known as “dead man’s curve.”

The attorneys said that the state has known about the dangers of the curve for decades.

The site is not the same location as the famous 1963 song, “Dead Man’s Curve” by Jan and Dean, which focused on a curve off Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles.

Bohm remains free on a $4 million bond.

Weir, Williams, Stewart, and Rolston were seniors at Pepperdine University. All four received their degrees posthumously.

Check back for updates.

[[Feature Photo via Pepperdine University]