Jury deliberating in murder trial for driver accused of killing Tour de Palm Springs bicyclist
The murder case involving the death of a cyclist during the Tour de Palm Springs charity ride five years ago has now reached the hands of the jury. Ronnie Ramon Huerta Jr., a 26-year-old from Desert Hot Springs, stands accused of second-degree murder and severely injuring another cyclist while allegedly under the influence of marijuana.
In her closing argument, Deputy District Attorney Karen Salas presented audio recordings of Huerta's statements to the police after the crash, in which he admitted to speeding near 90 miles per hour.
The prosecution played a video showing Huerta's car flying by bikers, crossing over the double yellow line, a photo of tire tracks marked Huerta's path off the roadway, leading to the collision that claimed the life of 49-year-old Mark Kristofferson and caused severe injuries to his fiancé, Allison Akres.
"This was not a simple act of negligence, ladies and gentlemen. This was complete and total recklessness," Salas said. The prosecution argued that Huerta's actions showed a conscious disregard for human life.
Throughout the trial, Huerta's defense maintained he had not consumed marijuana that morning. Witnesses saw Huerta throw a bong into the desert after the crash and cannabis canisters were found in his car. Defense attorney Alex Hallowell acknowledged Huerta's fault in the incident but argued that the burden for a murder count had not been met, as there was no conscious disregard for human life proven.
"The evidence shows he's at fault. He killed someone. But it also doesn't make it murder," stated defense attorney Alex Hallowell in his closing argument.
Salas urged the jury to hold Huerta accountable for his choices and find him guilty as charged. Hallowell pleaded for jurors to consider Huerta's actions as not meeting the criteria for a murder charge.
According to a trial brief filed by the District Attorney's Office, the defendant was a repeat traffic offender, racking up seven citations over a two-year span for speeding, failing to obey traffic signals and signs, making unsafe lane changes and driving while distracted due to use of a cellular telephone.
The California Department of Motor Vehicles in 2017 suspended his driving privileges because he had accumulated so many points on his record that he was deemed a "negligent operator" and unsafe to be on the road, the brief said.
Huerta suffered minor injuries in the rollover crash and was treated and released from the hospital the next day.
He has no documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County.
