The man accused of driving drunk and speeding through a West Sacramento intersection in a January crash that killed a Davis resident now faces a murder charge, Yolo County prosecutors said in an amended criminal complaint.
Prosecutors allege that Kanwal Sahil, 28, was driving at a high rate of speed and ran a red light before striking Chloe Borders, a 31-year-old Davis resident, as they drove through the intersection. The collision occurred Sunday afternoon near the 4700 block of West Capitol Avenue. Sahil allegedly had a blood-alcohol level nearly four times the legal limit and admitted to officers that he had been drinking.
Sahil was initially charged with DUI causing injury and vehicular manslaughter, along with enhancements for causing great bodily injury, having an excessive blood-alcohol content and circumstances in aggravation. Court records show the aggravating circumstances mean a criminal sentence would have to adhere to the upper bound of sentencing requirements.
The additional murder charge, filed Friday, requires proving Sahil acted with wanton disregard for others and knowingly engaged in high-risk behavior. Sahil remains incarcerated. His bail is set at $1 million, according to court records.
Borders was an artist and associate therapist who believed in the healing power of creative expression, according to an online biography shared by their workplace. They were a member of the LGBTQ+ community who, according to their online bio, loved the band Glass Animals, Thai food and movies such as “Godzilla” and “Jurassic Park.”
Borders’ family held a celebration of life at Hagan Community Park in Rancho Cordova on Saturday. Borders’ widower, Ben Oliver, and sister, Angela Borders, organized a GoFundMe to help with funeral costs.
Related Stories from Sacramento Bee
The Sacramento Bee
Daniel Lempres is an investigative reporter at The Sacramento Bee focused on government accountability. Before joining The Bee, his investigations appeared in outlets like the San Francisco Chronicle, the Los Angeles Times and The New York Times.