Los Angeles woman pleads not guilty to second-degree murder in Metro bus collision

Bailee Lynn Rios, 36, was brought to a San Fernando Superior Court courtroom on a hospital gurney and entered a not-guilty plea to two counts of second-degree murder, driving under the influence and reckless driving. The charges stem from a September 15 collision in which her SUV struck a Los Angeles Metro bus, killing passengers Gage Weida, 31, and Daniel Castillo, 46. The crash set off a chain of events that later led to an NBC news helicopter crash, which claimed three additional lives.

Rios had missed earlier court dates while recovering from injuries sustained in the crash. District Attorney Nathan Hochman said investigators found suspected methamphetamine and related paraphernalia in her vehicle and described the deaths as preventable. > "Miss Rios did not have to get behind the wheel while impaired. She did not have to drive on the other side of the road. She did not have to blow through the red light at full force and drive her SUV right into a Metro bus. That was all preventable," he said.

Text messages recovered by investigators show Rios expressing fear hours before the collision. In a message to a friend, she wrote she was "scared" and intended to meet him later that day. The friend later said Rios had been dealing with personal concerns and associating with people she should not have.

The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner identified the bus crash victims, while the helicopter crash killed reporter Eliana Moreno, pilot George Marciniw and bystander Edy Gutierrez Mejia, who were covering the incident. Video released after the crash shows Rios dazed and covered in blood, speaking with a bystander and stating she was okay, as well as extensive damage to both the bus and her SUV.