A Whittier man charged with murder in last year’s fiery multivehicle crash that killed three people, including two Valencia residents, appeared in court Monday to set a date for his preliminary hearing only to see it postponed until late March.
Dealio Lockhart, 35, who pleaded not guilty early last year to the charges filed against him, appeared in Los Angeles Superior Court Monday to set a date for a preliminary hearing.
The new date set for such a hearing was scheduled for March 30, Ricardo Santiago of the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said Monday.
During a preliminary hearing, prosecutors present evidence in the case, and the defense can respond, after which the judge will decide if the case should go to trial.
Lockhart is suspected of racing his Dodge Challenger with another driver on Feb. 27, 2016, in Commerce, causing a chain-reaction collision that killed two Valencia residents and a UPS truck driver from Mira Loma.
Killed were Brian Lewandowski, 18, the son of a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department homicide detective, and Michelle Littlefield, 19, both passengers in a Nissan with two other young people who were critically injured.
All four occupants of the Nissan were employees of Six Flags Magic Mountain returning from a trip to Disneyland.
UPS truck driver, Scott Treadway, 52, of Mira Loma, was also killed in the crash.
If convicted, Lockhart faces up to life in state prison.
Investigators with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and California Highway Patrol asked in March 2016, for the public’s help identifying the second driver involved in the fatal crash.
Lockhart remains the sole person charged in connection with the crash.
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