Woman charged with murder in Chatsworth bus crash pleads not guilty, held on $4.1 million bail

A Los Angeles woman accused of driving under the influence and colliding her SUV with a Metro bus in Chatsworth pleaded not guilty Thursday. Bailee Rios, 36, of Simi Valley faces two counts of second-degree murder, a felony DUI-causing-injury charge and a misdemeanor reckless-driving count. She was ordered to remain in custody with bail set at $4.1 million and is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on Nov. 2.

Rios entered the San Fernando courthouse on a gurney, surrounded by deputies, and appeared with bruises under her eyes. Her voice was garbled, making her plea difficult to hear. The two victims killed in the Sept. 15 crash were identified as Daniel Castillo, 46, who died on the bus, and Gage Weida, 31, who was thrown from the vehicle.

More than ten members of Castillo’s family attended the hearing and broke down in tears after learning of the not-guilty plea. The family, who declined on-camera comments, issued a statement expressing upset over the plea and a desire for justice.

Rios’s arraignment had been postponed several times for medical reasons, including a prior ambulance transport on Sept. 18. She remains jailed pending further court proceedings.