WOODLAND, Calif. — A 71-year-old man accused in a fatal hit-and-run crash that killed two 17-year-old girls in West Sacramento has been denied bail, after admitting to drinking vodka before driving, according to the Yolo County District Attorney’s Office.
David Alison Walker appeared in a Woodland courtroom Wednesday, where a judge ruled him a flight risk and a danger to society. Walker faces seven felony charges and one misdemeanor related to the crash that killed Layla Chrissa Clemons and Jaea Chatman.
In court, prosecutors stated that Walker admitted to consuming six to eight ounces of vodka before driving from Fair Oaks through Sacramento County into Yolo County on Saturday night. Around 9 p.m., he allegedly struck the two teenagers, who were riding bicycles near Jefferson Boulevard and Bevan Road.
According to the prosecution, Walker initially fled the crash scene but then made a U-turn and returned. Witnesses said he stopped his car, got out, saw one of the victims on the ground, briefly spoke to bystanders, and then fled again.
Family members of the victims filled the courtroom, many wearing shirts bearing the girls’ photos. The judge permitted Jaea’s father, Jerry Chatman, and Layla’s godmother, Lisa Eberhardt, to address Walker directly.
“I just wanted him to see me,” Chatman said in court. “He might forget what happened that night, but we’re going to let him know what we’re here for.”
Eberhardt called the judge’s decision to deny bail a small victory amid overwhelming grief. “I just don’t want him to hurt anyone else,” she said. “It’s sort of hollow because we’ll never have our girls back. That can’t be undone.”
Both families shared emotional memories of the teens: Layla had just received her driver’s permit one day before the crash, and Jaea had recently been accepted into a construction training program with dreams of becoming a painter.
Walker was arrested Sunday in Fair Oaks with assistance from Vacaville police. A complaint obtained by KCRA 3 lists the following charges against him:
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Two felony counts of murder
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Two felony counts of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, with enhancements for fleeing the scene
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Two felony counts of hit-and-run causing death
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One felony count of vehicle theft
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One misdemeanor count of driving without a license, with enhancements for causing great bodily harm and targeting vulnerable victims
Earlier Wednesday, the West Sacramento Police Department temporarily closed Jefferson Boulevard between Southport Parkway and Bevan Road for further investigation of the crash scene.
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