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FRESNO, Calif. (AP) — The Latest on a California teen charged in a fatal crash that was livestreamed on Instagram (all times local):
3:35 p.m.
A lawyer appointed to defend a California teen who livestreamed a car crash on Instagram that killed her younger sister says the 18-year-old is "broken apart" over the death.
Public defender Ramnik Samrao spoke after a Wednesday hearing in which his client, Obdulia Sanchez of Stockton, pleaded not guilty to charges that include vehicular manslaughter and intoxicated driving.
He said Sanchez believes she killed her 14-year-old sister, but that it's not clear she committed a crime. He said using a cellphone while driving is a traffic infraction, and that prosecutors must prove that she was intoxicated.
Merced County Chief Deputy District Attorney Harold Nutt said after the hearing that Sanchez's blood alcohol level was 0.10 and that her conduct in the video reflects "some depravity and some stupidity."
The legal limit in California is 0.08.
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1:55 p.m.
A California teen who livestreamed a car crash on Instagram that killed her younger sister has pleaded not guilty to charges of vehicular manslaughter and drunken driving.
Obdulia Sanchez of Stockton, who is 18, appeared Wednesday via remote camera in Merced County Superior Court.
She was dressed in yellow inmate garb and answered a "little bit" when the judge asked if she understood the charges against her.
Authorities say Sanchez livestreamed herself driving and then losing control of a car that rolled over Friday northwest of Fresno.
The district attorney's office said after the brief hearing that Sanchez had a blood alcohol content of 0.10. The legal limit in California is 0.08
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11 a.m.
Prosecutors have filed criminal charges against a California teen who livestreamed a car accident on Instagram that killed her younger sister.
The Merced County District Attorney's Office on Wednesday charged 18-year-old Obdulia Sanchez of Stockton with vehicular manslaughter and drunken driving.
Authorities say Sanchez recorded herself driving and then losing control of a car that rolled over Friday northwest of Fresno.
In the video, she's seen leaning over the body of the girl, trying to shake her awake and saying she was sorry.
Authorities say 14-year-old Jacqueline Sanchez died in the crash.
Obdulia Sanchez is expected in court Wednesday to hear the charges.
Neither Sanchez nor an attorney representing her could be reached for comment.
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