Driver in Malibu crash that killed 4 Pepperdine students arrested on murder charges

The driver accused of killing four Pepperdine University students last week in a crash in Southern California has been re-arrested on suspicion of murder, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said.

Frazier M. Bohm, 22, was initially charged with vehicular manslaughter after the fatal crash last Tuesday on Pacific Coast Highway, a notoriously dangerous stretch of roadway running through Malibu. Bohm was treated for minor injuries at a hospital and released while detectives continued to investigate the crash and gather more evidence, the sheriff's department has said.

After presenting the case to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office, sheriff's detectives re-arrested Bohm Tuesday on suspicion of four counts of murder, a week after the fatal crash.

Bohm, whose bail was set at $8 million, is scheduled to make his first court appearance Wednesday.

In a statement, the sheriff's department said the new charges are a result of investigators "relentlessly working to ensure we get justice for the victims’ families."

"Our detectives worked diligently to compile all the evidence needed so they could file the maximum charges allowed under California law," the sheriff's department said in the statement. "Our thoughts are with each family, friends, and students of each victim during this difficult time."

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Pepperdine hosts memorial service for victims

The news of the charges came two days after Pepperdine University, a small private Christian university overlooking the Pacific Coast Highway, hosted a memorial service to honor the four women killed in the crash.

The women, all of whom were seniors at the university, were identified as Niamh Rolston, Peyton Stewart, Asha Weir and Deslyn Williams. Two others were injured in the crash.

Pepperdine has created a memorial fund for the women — students in the university’s Seaver College of Liberal Arts — to support their families and to one day establish scholarships in their names.

"This fund is a testament to the love and compassion of our Pepperdine community, and it is our collective opportunity to make a meaningful impact for all who are affected by this profound loss," the university said in a statement. "The Pepperdine community continues to hold the Rolston, Stewart, Weir, and Williams families and those dearest to them in their prayers." 

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Investigators say Bohm was speeding along highway

Bohm had been driving a dark colored BMW westbound on the Pacific Coast Highway when investigators say he lost control.

He then slammed into three parked vehicles and crashed into a group of nearby pedestrians which included the Pepperdine students, investigators said. It appeared Bohm had been driving at a high rate of speed prior to the crash, officials said, which has become recurring problem along the 21-mile stretch of the highway running through Malibu.

“We need to do something different,” Sheriff’s Capt. Jennifer Seetoo said at a news conference last week, noting the number of fatal crashes that have occurred throughout the years on the road. “We’ve got to work together as a community; there's too many people on this stretch of the highway that have been killed.”

Eric Lagatta covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at [email protected]