The driver of pickup that was caught on camera in a high-speed chain-reaction crash that killed a woman on a Riverside County freeway was charged Thursday with second-degree murder.
Javier Calder, 25, also faces counts of driving under the influence of a drug. If convicted, he faces up to life in prison. His first court appearance was scheduled for Thursday, but proceedings were postponed to June 18.
Caldera, of Auburn, Washington, was behind the wheel of a 2011 Chevy Silverado pickup that was caught on camera as it rocketed along the 15 Freeway Tuesday morning in Temecula. In video from another driver's rear-view camera, the pickup can be seen on the shoulder of the road before it passes and slams into the back of a Nissan Altima.
The driver, 44-year-old Janet Genao, of Murrieta, died at the scene.
The chain-reaction crash sent a Chevy S-10 in a nearby city government parking structure. At least five vehicles were involved in the collision.
Based on witness statements, the pickup was traveling at about 100 mph.
Video from after the devastating crash shows Caldera stumbling across a freeway median before collapsing in the grass.
