NRI PULSE STAFF REPORT
Malibu, CA, July 29, 2026 — Nearly three years after Pepperdine University senior Asha Weir was killed in a high-speed crash on the Pacific Coast Highway, the criminal case against the driver accused of causing the collision has entered a critical new phase, with a California judge refusing to dismiss four murder charges against the defendant.
Weir, a 21-year-old English major who was born in Northern Ireland and later moved to Pennsylvania, was one of four Pepperdine seniors struck and killed on October 17, 2023, while standing along the shoulder of Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu. The other victims were Deslyn Williams, Niamh Rolston, and Peyton Stewart, all close friends and members of the university’s Alpha Phi sorority.
On Monday, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Thomas Rubinson denied a defense motion seeking to throw out the murder charges against Fraser Michael Bohm, 24, clearing the way for a jury trial expected to begin in September.
Prosecutors allege Bohm was driving his BMW at more than 100 mph in a 45 mph zone when he lost control, struck parked vehicles, and sent them into the four students, killing them instantly. They contend the extreme speed demonstrated a conscious disregard for human life, justifying second-degree murder charges rather than only vehicular manslaughter.
Bohm’s defense attorney, Alan Jackson, argued the deaths were the result of a tragic accident, not murder. The defense has challenged the prosecution’s reconstruction of the crash, disputed the estimated speed, and argued Bohm was reacting to an alleged road-rage encounter moments before the collision. Jackson has also emphasized that Bohm was not under the influence of alcohol or drugs and had no prior DUI or reckless-driving history. The judge, however, found sufficient grounds for the murder charges to remain in place pending trial.
For many who knew Asha Weir, the court proceedings have renewed memories of a young woman remembered for her kindness, creativity, and quiet compassion.
An English major with a love for writing, photography, and travel, Weir was active in Pepperdine’s Indian Student Association and had participated in the university’s international program in London. Friends described her as “wise beyond her years,” while her mother, Vinita Weir, has said her daughter’s name, Asha, meaning “hope,” reflected the way she lived her life.
Pepperdine posthumously awarded degrees to all four students and later established the Our Four Angels Endowed Scholarship and the Four Lights Memorial to honor their memory.
The upcoming trial is expected to test the legal threshold for charging murder in cases involving extreme speeding. Prosecutors maintain Bohm’s alleged conduct went far beyond negligence, while the defense insists the evidence supports, at most, a vehicular manslaughter case. A jury will ultimately decide whether the prosecution has proved implied malice beyond a reasonable doubt.
