Ex-Red Hot Chili Peppers Guitarist Josh Klinghoffer Pleads Not Guilty to Vehicular Manslaughter Charge
The rocker is accused of having hit and killed a pedestrian in a crosswalk in March
Mat Hayward/WireImage
Josh Klinghoffer in May 2018Former Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Josh Klinghoffer has entered a plea in his vehicular manslaughter case.
Six months after he allegedly hit and killed a pedestrian walking through a California crosswalk, Klinghoffer pleaded not guilty on Thursday, Sept. 26, PEOPLE confirms. He was not present in court, but entered the plea through his attorney, according to Rolling Stone.
The rocker, 44, was charged on Aug. 23 with vehicular manslaughter without gross negligence, a misdemeanor, according to court records.
Klinghoffer is accused of running over and killing 47-year-old Israel Sanchez as he walked through a marbled crosswalk in Alhambra on March 18. Sanchez was on the way to the grocery store to make soup for his family, who have since filed a civil suit against Klinghoffer.
“I miss my dad,” the victim’s daughter, Ashley Sanchez, said after the hearing, per Rolling Stone. “We’re seeking justice here. I don’t know why Josh is getting just a misdemeanor. It’s not okay. My father was a very great father.”
Courtesy of Ashley Sanchez
Victim Israel SanchezAccording to the civil suit filed in July, which was obtained by PEOPLE, Klinghoffer was “likely driving while distracted” and was allegedly “using a device mere seconds before” he struck Sanchez in the back while making a left turn.
The lawsuit alleges that the musician “made no braking or slowing motion until after” he’d fatally struck Sanchez, who was “thrown and/or dragged across the asphalt” and suffered blunt force trauma to the head. The victim was taken to the hospital, where he died about 2½ hours later of “excruciating” injuries, per the lawsuit.
“It was a tragic accident,” Klinghoffer’s attorney Andrew Brettler told TMZ in a statement at the time. “After Josh struck this pedestrian in the intersection, he immediately pulled over, stopped the car, called 911 and waited until police and the ambulance arrived. Obviously, he’s cooperating with the police throughout the traffic investigation. This was purely a tragic accident.”
Klinghoffer’s attorneys did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
Video of the incident obtained by PEOPLE shows a black GMC Yukon strike Sanchez without slowing down. The car then pulls to the side of the road and a man steps out, though the person cannot be identified as Klinghoffer. A photo obtained by PEOPLE also allegedly shows Klinghoffer holding what appears to be a cellphone seconds before the accident.
Ashley Sanchez — who launched a GoFundMe to help cover her father's funeral costs — is seeking a jury trial and damages including funeral, burial and medical expenses, attorney fees and pain and the loss of her father’s “love, companionship, comfort, care, assistance, protection, affection, society and moral support.”Klinghoffer, who is currently on tour with Pearl Jam, is due back in court for his criminal case on Oct. 31. There is a hearing set for his civil case on Oct. 18.
Klinghoffer joined the Red Hot Chili Peppers in 2009 following the departure of John Frusciante, and left in 2019 upon Frusciante’s return. He recorded two studio albums with the Chili Peppers, I'm With You (2011) and The Getaway (2016).
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