Driver Pleads Not Guilty in Crash That Killed 2

A Moreno Valley man who allegedly led deputies on a chase that ended in two deaths when his car crashed into another auto has pleaded not guilty to murder and drunk driving charges.

Herminio Valenzuela, 26, entered his plea in Malibu Municipal Court to second-degree murder counts for the deaths of Jacqueline Swope, 51, and Luis Agustin Ailon, 20. He faces a life prison term if convicted. Deputies said they attempted to stop a Toyota Supra early Saturday after seeing the car’s headlights were off.

Deputies chased the car about a quarter of a mile before the Toyota collided head-on with a Dodge Daytona, south of Topanga Canyon Road, killing Valenzuela’s passenger, Ailon. Swope, a passenger in the Daytona, also died at the scene.