A Simi Valley woman, 36, crashed into a Chatsworth Metro Bus on Sept. 15, killing two people and injuring five others. Bailey Lynn Rios, under the influence of drugs and found to have narcotics in the car, drove on the wrong side of the road, colliding her SUV with the bus.
Announced by Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office charged Rios with driving under the influence, reckless driving and two counts of second-degree murder in the deaths of 31-year-old Gage Weida and 46-year-old Daniel Castillo. If Rios is convicted of these charges, she faces a life sentence with the possibility of parole.
She was held on bail for $4.1 million, and was meant to be arraigned in court on Sept. 21, and continuously missed her rescheduled court hearings due to a delay with medical clearance. She was finally tried on Sept. 24, pleading not guilty to the deaths. She is still being kept in jail, and is due back for a preliminary hearing on Nov. 2. Footage obtained from bystanders by NBC4 showed Rio being extracted from her SUV at the scene of the accident by firefighters and taken to the hospital to be treated for injuries.
From 2016 to 2022, Rios has faced several misdemeanor charges for illegal drug possession, being under the influence, driving with a suspended license and violating terms of probation and treatment plans. Interviewed by the Times, Rios’ friend, Lanise Ward, said that despite Rios’ long-term struggle with addiction, she had been sober for a year and a half before the accident.
To convict her of murder charges, prosecutors will have to prove that Rios deliberately disregarded human life.
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