BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KBAK/KBFX) — A long-delayed trial for two men accused of causing a crash that killed two sisters and severely injured a third has been postponed again, according to Kern County court documents.
Gustavo Montoya and Tevin Brandt face charges related to murder, vehicular manslaughter, reckless driving and other enhancements. Both pleaded not guilty. The case has faced several delays since charges were filed in Sept. 2023.
PREVIOUS REPORTING: 1 arrested for fiery crash that killed sisters on McKee Road
The crash happened at 3:10 a.m. on March 4, 2023, near Hosking Avenue and Highway 99. Bakersfield police and the California Highway Patrol responded after a Dodge pickup collided with a Honda in the southbound lanes of the freeway.
Police said the driver of the Honda was traveling eastbound on McKee Road and failed to stop at the dead-end, entering the freeway, where it was struck by the Dodge truck. The Honda was fully engulfed in flames.
Diana Ponce, the driver, escaped with injuries, but her two sisters, Jennifer Duarte, 15, and 21-year-old Karime Duarte, were killed. The girls were said to be delivering newspapers before the crash.
Court documents say Brandt was following the girls, which led them to lose control of the car. Investigators said the events leading up to the crash began when Brandt left his phone in an Uber. The Uber driver, Montoya, then went to Brandt’s location, but the phone was not in the vehicle.
Brandt later tracked his phone to Macau Street, where police said he confronted the three sisters and began banging on their vehicle. Investigators said Montoya and Brandt then aggressively chased the sisters to the end of McKee Road near a roundabout, and the car went from the residential street onto Highway 99.
PREVIOUS REPORTING: Two sisters killed in crash and only one survived, family searches for answers
Brandt and Montoya are set for trial on August 31.