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

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