Man pleads not guilty in Lodi crash that killed 5 family members
A man allegedly responsible for a six-car crash in Lodi last fall that killed five members of a family has pleaded not guilty to driving under the influence and a slew of other criminal offenses.
Ryan Christopher Morales, 28, of Lodi also pleaded not guilty Monday to other charges including six counts of murder and six counts of gross vehicular manslaughter, according to the Lodi News-Sentinel.
Court documents show Morales had a blood-alcohol level of 0.20 when he was taken to a hospital after the Oct. 22 wreck. Investigators found the speedometer needle on his SUV stuck above 100 mph.
In an interview with the News-Sentinel from jail, Morales said he could recall nothing about the crash and that the last thing he remembered from before the accident was drinking with his father at home.
Eden Miranda, 9, survived the crash that took the lives of his pregnant mother, his father and his three siblings.
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