Man Pleads Not Guilty in Crash That Killed 6

A suspected drunk driver who was charged with killing a family of six as they sat in a parked car near Compton last week pleaded not guilty Monday.

Deputy Dist. Atty. David Schorr filed six counts of gross vehicular manslaughter and one count of driving under the influence and causing injury against James Lee Lyles, 53, of Rialto. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison, Schorr said.

At his arraignment in a small Compton municipal courtroom, packed with more than a dozen friends and relatives, Lyles appeared behind a glass partition, wearing jail-issued blue pants and a bright orange shirt. He answered the judge’s questions with a simple “Yes, sir” or “No, sir.”

A preliminary hearing date was set for Sept. 17. Lyles must appear in court again Friday for a bail review hearing. Bail has been recommended at $300,000.

Lyles’ attorney, Halvor T. Miller Jr., declined to comment before an array of television cameras waiting outside the courtroom. Lyles’ friends, who bowed their heads for a 15-minute prayer before the proceeding, also declined to speak with reporters.

Meanwhile, friends and relatives of the family killed in the crash--Carlos Granados Gallardo, 27; Magdalena Lopez, 25; and their four children--were making funeral arrangements. Rosary services were set for 7:30 p.m. Thursday at St. Philip Neri church in Lynwood. Mass is set for 10:30 a.m., Friday, followed by burial at All Souls Cemetery in Long Beach.

“It’s obvious they are in pain,” said Father Jose Sanchez, the church pastor, who has spoken with the Granados family. “They are trying to be calm and patient with the whole situation.”

He said church members have already collected $4,000 to help pay the costs of the funeral. The Compton firefighters’ union has also set up a trust fund to raise money for the family.

The crash, outside a taco stand on Atlantic Avenue north of Rosecrans Avenue, occurred when Lyles’ pickup sped through a red light at 80 mph, according to police. The truck allegedly sideswiped one car, then careened into the back of the Granados’ car. The family, which was celebrating on the eve of Carlos Granados’ first paycheck in his new job as a sales associate in the men’s department at J.C. Penney in Carson, died instantly, California Highway Patrol officials said.

CHP officers said they smelled alcohol on Lyles’ breath. Lyles and his passenger, Mary Bernice Elliot, 35, suffered minor injuries and were taken to St. Francis Medical Center, where a blood sample was taken to test Lyles for alcohol consumption and drug use.