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A Los Angeles judge refused Monday to drop murder charges against a young man accused of killing four Pepperdine University co-eds in a horrific car crash on Malibu's notorious Pacific Coast Highway. Fraser Bohm, 23, is facing four counts of second-degree murder and four of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence in the deaths of Niamh Rolston, 20, Asha Weir, 21, Peyton Stewart, 21 and Deslyn Williams, 21 in the 2023 pileup. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges. On Monday, his defense team tried to persuade LA Superior Court Judge Thomas Rubenson that murder charges were not justified, that the deaths were the result of a tragic accident which happened when Bohm was being chased in a 'road rage' incident. But the judge was not convinced, telling the court that there was 'sufficient evidence' to warrant the murder charges and adding, 'There is no doubt that this man (Bohm) was driving extremely fast on PCH…close to, even above 100mph. 'There is no evidence of a road rage incident before the crash. The defendant knew how dangerous it was to drive at 100mph…that his actions had a high degree of probability of causing death.' Bohm - wearing a grey suit and tie and white shirt - showed little emotion, instead looking confused when Judge Rubenstein dismissed his motion to throw out the murder charges. The four young women died on October 17, 2023, when Bohm - driving a BMW at allegedly 104mph - smashed into three parked vehicles in the parking lane on PCH next to where the girls were walking. The speed limit is 45mph along that stretch which is known as 'Deadman's Curve.' He first attempted to dismiss the murder charges against him in a court appearance on October 8. In a 59-page filing obtained by Daily Mail, Bohm's defense team cited 'conflicting' evidence and unreliable, 'glitchy' video footage from surveillance cameras close to the scene. 'The People's theory of implied malice murder is thoroughly lacking in legal support,' the filing states. 'Thus, the charges of second degree murder must be dismissed.' Bohm's attorneys list several 'undisputed facts' about their client, who was 22 at the time of the accident: 'He had no drugs or alcohol in his system, he was not texting or otherwise distracted, and he has an unblemished driving record with no prior accidents, speeding violations, or traffic infractions.' But at the April preliminary hearing, the lawyers add: 'Several key allegations were less clear. 'The People claimed that Mr. Bohm was speeding but there was conflicting evidence as to his actual speed. 'Evidence was presented that established Mr. Bohm was attempting to flee a road-rage incident instigated by a driver with a history of road rage, who angrily engaged Mr. Bohm on the roadway. 'Evidence was also presented that Mr. Bohm's vehicle was struck by a car immediately preceding the accident. 'Additionally, the defense presented evidence that the area where Mr. Bohm was driving is prone to accidents and in fact was known by the City of Malibu as 'Dead Man's Curve'.' Of the six eyewitnesses who have provided testimony about what they saw the evening of October 17, 2023, 'none could provide a complete and accurate timeline of what occurred on the relevant strip of PCH leading to the accident,' Bohm's lawyers state. 'While videos and images captured from several camera along PCH were introduced as exhibits at the preliminary hearing, the footage was often difficult to see and at times so corrupted - or very glitchy - that the images captured could not be discerned (one witness cannot identify or recognize his own vehicle when initially played the video).' The attorneys maintain in their motion that 'the evidence presented by the prosecution at the preliminary hearing was not merely dense, but extremely intricate, layered and at times difficult to follow… 'That muddled presentation further underscores that the People's theory of murder is unsupported by fact and by law.' All four of the young women killed in the Malibu crash were seniors at Pepperdine's Seaver College of Liberal Arts where they were members of the Alpha Phi Sorority. They were due to graduate with the class of 2024 and were awarded their degrees posthumously. The victims had just exited another car and were walking along the shoulder when they were struck. Bartos said at an earlier preliminary hearing: 'They were killed because of the driving of the defendant.' Bartos pointed out that data retrieved from the 'black box' in Bohm's BMW showed that the vehicle accelerated from 93mph to 104mph in just two-and-a-half seconds before the crash. 'He consciously decided to get that vehicle up to the speed of 104mph,' the prosecutor added. 'And he lost control of his vehicle... This was not an accident.' Bohm, who lives in Malibu, has maintained that the deadly crash was an accident that occurred when another driver in a white car allegedly swerved into his lane, clipped his side mirror, and caused him to smash into the three parked cars. His former defense attorney, Michael Kraut, argued that at the time of the crash, Bohm was being 'chased in a road-rage incident.' But LA Sheriff's investigators said they found 'no evidence of an alleged road-rage incident.' Kraut during the April hearing described Bohm as 'a kid', who was just 20 at the time of the tragedy and had no 'past history of any driving violations or a parking violation.' The crash ignited outrage across Malibu, where residents have long been calling for safety improvements along the dangerous stretch of the PCH between Carbon Canyon and Las Flores Canyon. The section has earned the grim nickname of 'Dead Man's Curve' after seeing 53 deaths and 92 serious injuries between 2013 and 2023. On the one-year anniversary of the girls' deaths, Malibu officials met to discuss new safety measures and created a California highway patrol task force to crack down on speeders and traffic offenders on PCH. And recently, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a new bill authorizing the installation of speed cameras on a 21-mile stretch of PCH all the way through Malibu. The city has also been considering an even more ambitious plan that would completely redesign PCH, 'transforming it from a high-speed highway into a safer, community-focused corridor, providing safe access for all users, including pedestrians, cyclists and drivers.' The parents of the victims have all brought wrongful death lawsuits against Bohm and are also suing the State of California, LA County, the City of Malibu and the California Coastal Commission, alleging dangerous road design on PCH and lack of safety standards. Bohm, whose father Chris is an executive at a medical equipment manufacturer, had appeared in court for his arraignment hearing in July – his first court date since he was ordered to stand trial after a three-day preliminary trial in late April. The former high school athlete, however, did not enter an official plea after his lawyer requested more time and the hearing was pushed to August. The Daily Mail previously revealed that Bohm had received the luxury vehicle in his parents' divorce settlement on his 18th birthday. The red 2016 BMW was purchased by Bohm's mother Brooke using a down payment of $25,000 in 2017 – with the remaining instalments paid by his father Chris. The divorce settlement also revealed details of his family's lavish lifestyle – including the secluded $8.7million Malibu gated estate Bohm's mother ended up with in the divorce.
