Repeat DUI offender to stand trial for murder in alleged DHS hit & run death
A two-time DUI offender accused of running down a pedestrian in Desert Hot Springs and fleeing the scene must stand trial on murder, hit-and-run and drunken driving charges, a judge ruled Friday.
Michael Bettasso, 39, of Yucca Valley, has 2005 and 2014 convictions in Riverside County for drunken driving, according to court records. He was on probation for the second conviction at the time of the crash last July 2 that killed 63-year-old Richard Helton of Desert Hot Springs, whose truck had broken down.
Read: Bettasso pleads not guilty to murder, hit & run and DUI charges
Bettasso was driving northbound on Indian Canyon Drive, north of Dillon Road, about 7:30 p.m. when his 2014 Nissan Sentra allegedly struck Helton, who was walking on the east side of the roadway. The crash was not reported to the California Highway Patrol until around 7:20 the following morning.
CHP officers found Helton dead and located his1988 Chevrolet pickup truck south of the crash scene, indicating the vehicle broke down and he had walked down the road for assistance.
Bettasso allegedly fled the scene, but was identified by witnesses, said CHP Officer Mike Radford, who said the defendant was arrested at his home on the night of July 3. Bettasso, who remains in custody in lieu of $1 million bail, will return to court June 23 for a post-preliminary hearing arraignment.
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