Cyclists Killed; Driver Charged

Two bicyclists on a cross-country trip from Anaheim to Virginia were killed near Joshua Tree by an alleged drunk driver who had insisted on driving from a nearby party, even though several people had tried to take his keys, officials said.

Raymond Moore, 72, of Anaheim, died at the scene Sunday morning. His friend Lyle Rosser, 60, of Reseda, died at Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs, a hospital spokeswoman said. Both men suffered severe internal and head injuries, authorities said.

Moore and Rosser were cycling enthusiasts who had always wanted to bike across the country.

“The two of them had been planning this trip for 12 years,” said Moore’s wife, Linda.

The suspect, Robert Boyd, 29, was being held without bail on two counts of murder, said Cpl. Steve Spear of the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department.

Boyd was legally drunk three hours after the collision, Spear said.

About 1:14 a.m. someone driving by the scene called police to report what looked like a body lying on Highway 62 in Yucca Valley.

Officers responded and found one man lying on the road and the other in a nearby gully, Spear said.

Boyd had attended a party in Yucca Valley, about three miles from where the two men were killed. Four people at the party tried to keep him from driving away in his black 1999 Chevy 1500 pickup truck, Spear said.

They took his keys, stood in the doorway and tried blocking his car with their cars, he said. Boyd eventually got the keys back. Partygoers got in their cars in an attempt to block his exit, Spear said, but he drove around them.

“They did everything humanly possible, short of committing a crime, to stop him from leaving,” Spear said.

Boyd allegedly fled the scene of the accident and returned to the party, where he fell asleep, Spear said.

Car parts found at the accident scene matched parts broken off Boyd’s truck, which was extensively damaged, Spear said.

Based on the lack of damage to the bicycles and the steepness of an incline on that part of the road, Spear said, Moore and Rosser were probably pushing their bikes when they were hit.

Moore is survived by his wife of 44 years and two children.