Last week, people were angry when Bailee Lynn Rios entered a not guilty plea to two counts of second-degree murder and charges of driving under the influence, reckless driving and causing great bodily harm.
Rios was pushed into the San Fernando courtroom strapped to a gurney surrounded by police officers. She had two black eyes and was covered by a blanket.
Many asked how she could enter a plea of “not guilty.”
Just nine days earlier, Rios “allegedly made the choice to drive while impaired on the wrong side of the road through a red light well above the speed limit,” said Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman. Her SUV violently collided head-on with the side of an LA Metro bus in Chatsworth, killing two passengers – Daniel Castillo, 46, and Gage Weida, 31 – and injuring six, including the bus driver and herself.
Rios remains in custody in lieu of $4.1 million bail. If convicted on all charges, she could face a maximum of life in prison, said Hochman.
Rios’ next court date is in the City of San Fernando on Nov. 2 to set the date for her preliminary hearing. But the venue for the trial may be moved to a larger courthouse in downtown LA to accommodate the expected large turnout for the high-profile case.
Regardless of the venue location, Rios may not appear in court next month. During last week’s arraignment, Superior Court Judge Patrick Hare granted Rios a waiver allowing her to skip routine court appearances due to her medical condition. She reportedly sustained several serious injuries in the crash, including fractures, cuts and bruised ribs.
But for family members of the victims, the waiver may add insult to an already grievous injury.
Numerous relatives showed up at the local courthouse multiple mornings in a row, waiting for the opportunity to be inside the courtroom for Rios’ scheduled arraignment, but she was a last-minute no-show on four consecutive days she was scheduled to appear but didn’t because of her medical condition.
When the bailiff informed relatives of one of the victims that Rios was actively en route the morning of Sept. 24 – from downtown LA to the San Fernando Courthouse – they were visibly relieved.
But the wait continued for two more hours. At least eight members of the Castillo family sat closely together on a bench in the hallway, speaking quietly to each other and politely declining media requests for interviews. After Rios arrived via ambulance, they went inside the courtroom and filled a whole row in the half-empty gallery.
During the short hearing, Rios – who had dark bruising under both eyes – was partially sitting up on the gurney, looking straight ahead or at the judge. While all eyes were fixed on her, she never returned the stares. Her voice sounded faint and muffled as she entered her plea.
“We’re all upset about this whole thing [and] obviously, we’re angry about [the not guilty plea] – all of us feel angry,” said one relative of Castillo after the proceedings. Though they were initially reluctant to speak with reporters, family members in unison agreed “we all want justice” for the father of four children.
“Daniel was a protector of our family. We love him, we miss him and we’re here for him.”
A History of Drug Use
Rios, who is from Simi Valley, had a long history of substance abuse and related criminal offenses. Ventura County court records show she had prior convictions for drug possession and driving with a suspended license, but was never sentenced to serve time in jail or prison. Instead, Rios received probation and was ordered into drug treatment programs.
Rios was on active probation when she was driving a 2004 Ford Expedition the afternoon of the crash. Illegal narcotics and drug paraphernalia were recovered from the SUV, and a toxicology screen reportedly revealed Rios had narcotics in her system at the time of the Sept. 15 collision.
Hochman said they are considering additional charges in connection with the fatal NBC4 helicopter crash that happened about two hours later, when the news crew was covering the SUV-bus collision. Three people died after the chopper suddenly lost altitude and crashed in a commercial parking lot a few blocks away: reporter Eliana Moreno and veteran pilot George Marciniw, who were on board, and Edy Gutierrez Mejia, who was killed on the ground.
Since the collision, the public has utilized social media to send their condolences to family members and vent their anger.
Barbi Pudwill, who described herself as “one of Bailee’s loved ones” on the San Fernando Valley Sun/el Sol’s Facebook page, expressed sympathy for Rios in online comments.
“I am four years sober and don’t condone what she [did], but I also don’t forget where I came from and understand addiction,” she wrote, adding, “Babygirl, you are in our thoughts and heart. We are so sorry this happened. We still love you and we are going to always love you.”
But in reply to another comment condemning Rios, Pudwill said she believes that “Bailee will get what she deserves. … Yes, she is going to prison.
“[Bailee] has no one to blame but herself for what has happened,” she added, pointing out that the families who lost loved ones “will never be the same.” But, Pudwill continued, she still has “compassion for both” – the impacted families and Rios as well.
While the public continues to weigh in with their opinions and comments, those who are most affected are focused on resolution and repairing their families.
“We are all heartbroken and hope that she gets what she deserves,” one of Castillo’s cousins told the San Fernando Valley Sun/el Sol, noting she didn’t want to say anything more about the case out of respect for Castillo’s surviving siblings and other relatives.
“She needs to pay for all she did,” wrote Gilbert Arrieta Jr., also identifying himself as a cousin of Castillo. “She took them [Castillo and Weida] away from their loved ones. We all are hurting.”