Suspect In LA Commuter Train Derailment Pleads Not Guilty

[Skywatch_NC]

Suspect In LA Commuter Train Derailment Pleads Not Guilty

POSTED: 8:52 pm EDT May 19, 2005
UPDATED: 9:22 pm EDT May 19, 2005

LOS ANGELES -- The man accused of causing the collision of two commuter trains outside Los Angeles that killed 11 people has pleaded not guilty to murder and arson charges.

Juan Manuel Alvarez is accused of parking his Jeep on the tracks in Glendale early Jan. 26, then abandoning the vehicle as a Metrolink train approached. The train crashed into the Jeep and derailed, slamming into an oncoming train.

In addition to the 11 dead, nearly 200 people were injured.

Alvarez faces 11 counts of murder and one count of arson, along with special circumstance allegations that could result in the death penalty if he's convicted. He appeared in court briefly Thursday and is scheduled to return July 22 for a pretrial hearing.

Prosecutors say they haven't decided if they will seek the death penalty.

http://www.wral.com/news/4510368/detail.html

Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press.

[yoda]

Just NG? I thought he would plead NG by I?

[Skywatch_NC]

Just NG? I thought he would plead NG by I?

Guess he worked out a deal with his defense attorney.

[Brent]

Oh yeah... I remember this idiot. Parked his car on the tracks and left it.

That was the morning after we got back from Gatlinburg and I had a cast on my arm.

[GalvestonDuck]

How interesting that the "ripped from the headlines" eppy of "Law & Order" about this case just aired last night. Of course, there was a twist to the L&O case as there always is. Just thought it was an interesting coincidence.