Anurag Chadha, a California man who killed three children for playing a doorbell prank on him in 2020, has been given a life sentence without the possibility of parole.
The man of Indian descent was found guilty in April on three counts of murder, three counts of attempted murder, and a special circumstance accusation of numerous murders. He deliberately rammed his car into a vehicle that was carrying three 16-year-old boys who were killed and three other teens who were seriously injured.
The fatal collision occurred on Temescal Canyon Road late on January 19, 2020.
Chandra pushed a 2002 Toyota Prius carrying six teenagers off the road, causing the vehicle to crash into a tree on the east side of the road.
Chandra fled the scene of the collision and went back home without filing a report.
All three 16-year-old victims, Daniel Hawkins, Jacob Ivascu, and Drake Ruiz, died. Three youngsters, ages 13, and 14, and the Prius’s 18-year-old driver were hurt in the incident.
According to a press release, the boys were enjoying a sleepover when they finally dared one of their pals to perform a “doorbell ditch,” at which point they drove to a nearby house, the California Highway Patrol’s investigation revealed.
Once there, one of the lads hurried back to their car after ringing the doorbell of a house on Modjeska Summit Road.
Chandra, a resident of the house, followed the lads’ automobile with his own vehicle.
Chandra was after the victims when he rear-ended the Prius and sideswiped their car, forcing them to stop.
The boys turned around to flee, but Chandra kept going after them.
Chandra ultimately upped his speed to 99 mph as both cars approached Squaw Mountain Road, then purposefully crashed into the back of the Prius, sending it off the road and into a tree.
Chandra also admitted guilt to spousal violence and child endangerment misdemeanour counts in a different instance, receiving time served credit.
Since his arrest on January 20, 2020, for the homicide case, Chandra has been detained at the Robert Presley Detention Centre in Riverside.
“The anger, callousness, and outrageous behaviour of one man will forever change the lives of countless families, and I am grateful to Judge Navarro for imposing the maximum sentence in this case,” said District Attorney Mike Hestrin.