Indictment in Placentia Student’s Death

Former Boston Celtic guard Charles Smith has been indicted in the hit-and-run deaths of a 21-year-old Placentia woman and her friend, both students at Boston University.

A Suffolk County grand jury returned the indictment Thursday against Smith, 23. He is accused of being the driver who struck Placentia’s An Trinh and Michelle Dartley, 20, of Ridgewood, N.J., as they tried to cross a street early March 23.

Witnesses told police that a van struck the students, then the motorist drove off. Police said they stopped Smith about a mile away from the scene. He was driving a 1991 Dodge Caravan with damage to its grille, a front headlight and the windshield, police said.

Strands of hair were also found on the damaged vehicle, investigators said.

Police said Smith was given breath analysis and field sobriety tests. They said Smith passed most but not all of the tests.

The victims were described by classmates as “the closest of friends.” Trinh was a junior majoring in psychology; Dartley was a sophomore at the university’s College of Basic Studies.

They had been on their way to buy a candy bar for a friend.

Trinh’s family described her as a brilliant honors student. She was a 1988 graduate of El Dorado High School in Placentia, where she had been both an honors student and prom queen. She had transferred to Boston University from Cal State Fullerton and was majoring in psychology, her sister said.

Smith is charged with two counts each of manslaughter and motor vehicle homicide, leaving the scene of an accident after causing personal injury and negligently operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol, said David Rodman, spokesman for Dist. Atty. Newman Flanagan.

If convicted, Smith could receive up to 20 years in prison for each manslaughter charge and 15 years for each count of motor vehicle homicide.

Smith, a former Georgetown University star who has been living in Washington since the accident, pleaded innocent to the charges at an earlier appearance and faces a May 16 Superior Court arraignment.

His agent, Louis Cunningham, said Smith is “remorseful” about the accident.

“I think he would much have preferred to die himself than for anything to have happened to those girls,” Cunningham said.

Smith had been signed to a 10-day contract with the Celtics to fill in for injured starting point guard Brian Shaw. His contract lapsed on the weekend of the accident; he has not been re-signed.

“Obviously everything hinges on the outcome of this incident,” Cunningham said.

Smith still has “the talent and the desire” to play basketball, he said, “but first he wants to do the most responsible thing and see this matter through.”