A Whittier man accused of killing three people, including two Valencia residents, in a 2016 crash was ordered Friday to return to court next month and set a date for his preliminary hearing.
Dealio Lockhart, 35, appeared Friday in Los Angeles Superior Court. He’s charged with murder in a crash that killed Brian Lewandowski, 18, and Michelle Littlefield, 19, both of the Santa Clarita Valley.
He was told to return to court July 18 to set a date for his prelim, Ricardo Santiago, spokesman for the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office, said Friday.
Both Lewandowski and Littlefield had been enrolled as students at College of the Canyons.
During a preliminary hearing, prosecutors will present evidence in the case, and the defense can respond; the judge can then decide if the case should go to trial.
Lockhart is suspected of racing his Dodge Challenger with another driver on Interstate 5 on Feb. 27, 2016, in Commerce, causing a chain-reaction collision that killed the two Valencia residents and Scott Treadway, 52, a UPS truck driver from Mira Loma.
Littlefield and Lewandowski were 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.
If convicted, Lockhart faces up to life in state prison.
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