FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — The man accused of leading police on a high-speed chase before crashing into a Fresno home and killing two sisters will stand trial on murder charges.
“Based on the evidence produced, the court finds there is reasonable, probable, and sufficient cause…” the judge said Tuesday.
Prosecutors allege Adam Canales caused the deaths of Mang Yang and Eliza Yang in October 2024 when he crashed into their home while fleeing from law enforcement.
After two days of testimony, the judge ruled there is enough evidence for the case to move forward.
“The defendant is held to answer on all four counts,” the judge said.
The final witness was Fresno Police Detective Matthew Ames, who investigated the crash and analyzed the vehicle’s movements before impact.
Ames testified that Canales attempted to brake moments before the collision, but was traveling too fast to safely navigate the roadway.
“The traffic would either have to turn north or south. In this case, the vehicle was unable to make a north or south turn and collided with the residence,” Ames said.
Defense attorney Miles Harris argued prosecutors had failed to show the level of intent necessary for second-degree murder and instead asked the court to consider lesser charges such as gross vehicular manslaughter.
“Nobody involved in that, including two officers that had considerable experience, foresaw or recognized the risk,” Harris argued. “Otherwise, perhaps to those officers’ credit, they wouldn’t have engaged in a high-speed pursuit for a traffic stop.”
Prosecutors disagreed, pointing to Canales’ statements immediately after the collision.
“Mr. Canales’s immediate statement spontaneously to officers of ‘Did I hit anybody? Did I hurt anybody?’ shows that he was aware that the way he was driving was so dangerous that it was dangerous to human life,” Deputy District Attorney Adam Christopherson argued.
In the end, the judge sided with prosecutors, finding there was sufficient evidence to support the murder charges.
“The record supports a finding that the defendant acted with conscious disregard for life, as would support an implied malice for second-degree murder,” the judge said.
With the ruling, Canales will now move on to a jury trial, where prosecutors will seek to hold him accountable for the deaths of Mang and Eliza Yang.
Canales is expected back in court in December.
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