A judge delayed the murder trial of Fraser Bohm to Dec. 1 after prosecutors disclosed new evidence involving a nitrous oxide canister found in his car. Bohm, 24, faces four counts of second-degree murder and four counts of gross vehicular manslaughter in the 2023 Pacific Coast Highway crash that killed four Pepperdine University students in Malibu.
Jury selection had been set to begin Sept. 8. One of the victims, Niamh Rolston, graduated from Oaks Christian School in Westlake Village in 2020. Bohm also briefly attended the school.
Superior Court Judge Thomas Rubinson granted the delay at a Sept. 2 pre-trial hearing at the Van Nuys Courthouse after defense attorney Alan Jackson said he needed time to respond to the prosecution's new evidence, The Acorn reported.
Prosecutors allege a 10-to-12-pound nitrous oxide canister with a nozzle was recovered from Bohm's wrecked BMW and was on his lap at the time of the crash. Bohm's blood was smeared on top of the tank, according to Thought Catalog. The canister was never mentioned at the April 2025 preliminary hearing.
Deputy District Attorney Nathan Bartos said the evidence goes to distracted driving, not intoxication. Rubinson said he would not allow any "suggestions or hints" that Bohm was under the influence of nitrous oxide.
Jackson had asked to delay the trial until January 2027, citing scheduling conflicts with other cases. Rubinson rejected that request. The case had been before Rubinson for 392 days as of the Sept. 2 hearing, according to the Pepperdine Graphic.
"The defense has been on notice of the DA's intention to pursue either the inhalation theory or the holding theory, one or the other, since Wednesday, July 22, 2026," Rubinson said at the hearing. "That's six weeks already."
The judge settled on Dec. 1 as what he called "the best compromise."
Rolston, 20, and the other victims were Pepperdine seniors and members of the Alpha Phi sorority. Peyton Stewart was 21. Asha Weir was 21. Deslyn Williams was 21. They were walking on the shoulder of westbound PCH near a stretch known as Dead Man's Curve on Oct. 17, 2023. Authorities allege Bohm's BMW struck three parked cars at 104 mph in a 45-mph zone, and those cars struck the women.
Bohm has pleaded not guilty. He remains free on $4 million bail. His defense has twice failed to get the murder charges dismissed. Jackson told USA Today the crash was "an accident, period" and that "there was no malice in Fraser's heart."
Prosecutors argue the case involves implied malice, meaning Bohm knew driving at such speed could cause death and acted with wanton disregard. Bohm told investigators after the crash that he knew PCH "like the back of his hand" and that "speed kills," a phrase he said meant a lot to him because two close friends died in a prior high-speed crash, according to USA Today.
If convicted of murder, Bohm could face life in prison. Additional pre-trial hearings are scheduled for Sept. 16 and Nov. 4 at the Van Nuys Courthouse.
