Former RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS Guitarist JOSH KLINGHOFFER Pleads Not Guilty To Vehicular Manslaughter

September 26, 2024

According to Rolling Stone, former RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS guitarist Josh Klinghoffer pleaded not guilty to a misdemeanor charge in connection with a car accident that left a pedestrian dead.

Klinghoffer did not attend today's (Thursday, September 26) hearing at the Alhambra, California courthouse but entered the plea through his lawyer, Blair Berk.

According to court records, Klinghoffer was driving a Black 2022 GMC Yukon on March 18 when the vehicle struck 47-year-old pedestrian Israel Sanchez on Meridian Avenue near West Main Street in Alhambra. Video of the incident shows the car then pulling to the side of the road and a man stepping out and apparently calling 911. Sanchez was pronounced dead at the Huntington Hospital in Pasadena — about three miles away from the crash — later that day.

Sanchez's daughter Ashley filed a civil lawsuit against Klinghoffer in July, 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."

"Video of the incident shows that Defendant Klinghoffer made no efforts to brake or slow down until after he fatally struck Mr. Sanchez, indicating that Klinghoffer was likely to be driving while distracted," Sanchez's family's attorneys stated in a news release. "Video taken seconds before the incident shows an object between the steering wheel and the driver that is believed to be a phone."

Klinghoffer's legal team denied that their client was distracted, saying it was "purely a tragic accident."

"It's clear from the evidence that Mr. Klinghoffer was not on the phone at the time of the accident," attorney Andrew B. Brettler said in a statement to KTLA 5 News. "This was a tragic accident. There was no criminal intent, nor is any alleged."

Klinghoffer joined the RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS in 2009 following the departure of John Frusciante, and was fired in 2019, before Frusciante's return. He recorded two albums with the CHILI PEPPERS, "I'm With You" (2011) and "The Getaway" (2016). He has also worked with PEARL JAM and JANE'S ADDICTION.

Image credit: Tuna On Toast With Stryker

Find more on Red hot chili peppers
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • reddit
  • email

Comments Disclaimer And Information

BLABBERMOUTH.NET uses the Facebook Comments plugin to let people comment on content on the site using their Facebook account. The comments reside on Facebook servers and are not stored on BLABBERMOUTH.NET. To comment on a BLABBERMOUTH.NET story or review, you must be logged in to an active personal account on Facebook. Once you're logged in, you will be able to comment. User comments or postings do not reflect the viewpoint of BLABBERMOUTH.NET and BLABBERMOUTH.NET does not endorse, or guarantee the accuracy of, any user comment. To report spam or any abusive, obscene, defamatory, racist, homophobic or threatening comments, or anything that may violate any applicable laws, use the "Report to Facebook" and "Mark as spam" links that appear next to the comments themselves. To do so, click the downward arrow on the top-right corner of the Facebook comment (the arrow is invisible until you roll over it) and select the appropriate action. You can also send an e-mail to blabbermouthinbox(@)gmail.com with pertinent details. BLABBERMOUTH.NET reserves the right to "hide" comments that may be considered offensive, illegal or inappropriate and to "ban" users that violate the site's Terms Of Service. Hidden comments will still appear to the user and to the user's Facebook friends. If a new comment is published from a "banned" user or contains a blacklisted word, this comment will automatically have limited visibility (the "banned" user's comments will only be visible to the user and the user's Facebook friends).