Why Murder, & Not a Lesser Charge

The charge itself is worth pausing on, because it's a meaningfully higher bar than what typically follows a fatal traffic crash. Most fatal collisions, even ones involving serious negligence, are charged as vehicular manslaughter, which requires ordinary or gross negligence. A murder charge in a driving death case, while rarer, is generally reserved for circumstances where prosecutors believe the driver acted with implied malice, meaning conscious disregard for a known, extreme risk to human life, rather than simple carelessness or a lapse in judgment.

Running a red light while driving on the wrong side of the road, if that allegation holds up, is the kind of fact pattern prosecutors sometimes use to support exactly that theory: not an accident born of a split-second mistake, but conduct extreme enough to suggest the driver understood the danger and proceeded anyway. Neither the LAPD nor prosecutors has detailed what evidence supports the charge beyond the conduct described, and what led Rios to drive that way hasn't been publicly explained.

Who were Daniel Castillo and Gage Weida

Castillo was a father of four. His daughter, Johaunna Castillo, described him as someone who brought "so much laughter and light into every single person's lives" and who prioritized time with his family above everything else. "We're obviously very devastated and heartbroken by the loss of our dad," she said. "We're still trying to process the reality of the situation and the fact that he's no longer with us."

Weida's family had a trip planned to visit him in Southern California that very weekend, to celebrate his 32nd birthday. His father, Jeffrey Weida, described him as having "a heart of gold," and said the family is still making that trip, "but for all the wrong reasons." He expressed gratitude to the bystanders and first responders who stayed with his son. "It's just comforting to know that people were there with him, saying prayers for him," he said. Both families have set up GoFundMe pages to help cover expenses in the aftermath.

What Comes Next

Rios's murder charge will proceed through the Los Angeles County court system, where prosecutors will need to establish the implied malice standard the charge requires. Given the $4 million bail amount, which is exceptionally high even by the standards of serious violent crime cases, the court has clearly signaled it views her as both a significant flight risk and a danger if released.

Separately, both families now have a well-established foundation for wrongful death claims against Rios. A murder charge, if it results in conviction, would make civil liability difficult to dispute in any subsequent lawsuit, though a civil claim doesn't need to wait for the criminal case to conclude. Metro's own potential liability, if any infrastructure, signal, or bus operator factor contributed independent of Rios's alleged conduct, remains a separate question investigators haven't addressed publicly.

Our deepest condolences go out to the families of Daniel Castillo and Gage Weida.

If you or a family member has been injured or lost a loved one in a crash involving a driver accused of extreme recklessness, the independent attorneys we connect you with can help you understand your legal options and pursue full accountability.

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