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LOS ANGELES () — A woman charged with murder for allegedly driving under the influence of drugs while slamming her SUV into a Metro bus in Chatsworth, killing two people and injuring five other victims, pleaded not guilty in court on Thursday.
Bailee Rios, 36, of Simi Valley is charged with two counts of second-degree murder and one felony count of driving under the influence causing injury, along with a misdemeanor count of reckless driving.
Rios remains jailed in lieu of $4.1 million bail and is due back in court Nov. 2, when a preliminary hearing date is expected to be scheduled.
Bailee Rios, the woman accused of slamming her SUV into a Metro bus in Chatsworth, was charged with second degree murder.
She was rolled into the courtroom Thursday on a gurney, surrounded by deputies, and appeared to have dark bruises under both eyes. She stared up at the ceiling for most of the 30 minutes that she was in the courtroom.
Rios was difficult to understand when she spoke, her voice sounding garbled.
The two people killed in the crash were identified as Daniel Castillo, 46, who died on the bus, and Gage Weida, 31, who died on the street nearby, having apparently been thrown from the bus during the collision.
About two hours after that wreck, an NBC4 helicopter crew reporting on the bus collision crashed just blocks away that night, killing three people.
More than 10 members of Castillo’s family were present in the courtroom Thursday, some of them weeping and others breathing deeply as they tried to follow along with the proceedings.
They initially did not hear Rios’ plea clearly due to her muffled voice. When the victim’s family members walked out of the courtroom and were told that the defendant pleaded not guilty, they broke down in tears and hugged one another.
City News Service contributed to this report
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