A 20-year-old man was charged Tuesday in a suspected DUI crash that killed a family of three walking home from trick-or-treating in Long Beach, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said.
Carlo Adrian Navarro, of Long Beach, was charged with three counts each of murder and gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, the DA’s office said in a news release. He faces a possible maximum sentence of 45 years to life in state prison if convicted as charged.
The young family, 32-year-old Raihan Dakhil Awaida, her husband 30-year-old Joseph Awaida and their 3-year-old son Omar, were all critically injured when Navarro plowed into them with his car while driving intoxicated in the area of Country Club Drive and Los Cerritos Park Place on Halloween night, the Long Beach Police Department said.
The father died the following morning, the little boy died two days later and the mother succumbed to her injuries on November 3, according to police.
Navarro was arrested at the scene on suspicion of driving under the influence and gross vehicular manslaughter. Inmate records show he was released the following night after posting $100,000 bond.
He was taken into custody again five days later in connection with a break-in at a Long Beach vape shop on June 30, Long Beach City Prosecutor Douglas Haubert told KTLA.
Prosecutors requested that Navarro be held without bail Tuesday, according to the news release.
Last week, thousands gathered to pray for the Awaida family, including at the Islamic Society of Orange County and at Cal State Long Beach, from which Raihan had received her master’s degree this year.
Raihan’s brother, Mohammed Dakhil, described her as his “ride-or-die” and said her husband was the most compassionate and easy-going person. Dakhil also described his 3-year-old nephew, Omar, as “such a sweet little boy” who always gave a hug to everyone he met.
“It feels like I’m in a never-ending nightmare,” he said.
A GoFundMe page set up to cover funeral costs had raised more than $233,000 by Tuesday afternoon.
The case remains under investigation by the Long Beach Police Department and no further details were available.