Murder charges have been filed after a car crash that killed a couple last weekend in Fresno County.
Related Articles
Pedestrian on Interstate 580 killed after being hit by vehicle near Richmond exit
Crash in Fremont leaves one man dead, another injured
Feds now probing electric vehicle crash in Pleasanton that killed family of four
Fremont: Motorcyclist killed in suspected DUI crash
Pleasanton: Crash that killed family of 4 in VinFast EV prompts federal inquiry
The surviving driver — David Alvarado, 54, of Madera — was allegedly drunk when he rear-ended a car that was stopped at a red light on Saturday, May 18, the California Highway Patrol said.
Mary Hardin, 65, died at the scene. Her husband, Paul Hardin, 69, died in a hospital on Monday. The couple, from Helotes, Texas, were missionaries with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and had been assigned to the Fresno area since January, the church said.
In filing murder charges, the Fresno County district attorney cited Alvarado’s six previous convictions for driving under the influence — in 1997, 2005, 2006, twice in 2019, and 2021.
Alvarado was driving without a license on Saturday, and a breath analysis indicated his blood alcohol level was more than twice the legal limit of 0.08%, the CHP said.
Alvarado pleaded not guilty on Wednesday. His bail was set at $2.7 million, and his next court date is in June.
The crash happened around 8:30 p.m. Saturday on northbound Highway 41 in an agricultural area about 7 miles south of Fresno. The Hardins, in a Nissan Sentra, were stopped for a traffic signal at Manning Avenue when their car was struck from behind by a Ford F-250 pickup truck allegedly driven by Alvarado, the CHP said.
The sedan was pushed into a Chevrolet Camaro stopped in front of it. The Camaro’s driver suffered minor injuries, as did Alvarado.
