Warning: This article contains a recollection of crime and can be triggering to some, readers’ discretion advised.
CORONA, CALIFORNIA: Anurag Chandra was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole on Friday, July 14, after being found guilty by a jury on three counts of murder, three counts of attempted murder, as well as a special circumstance allegation of multiple murders for the deaths of Drake Ruiz, Daniel Hawkins, and Jacob Ivaascu, all 16, which occurred in January 2020. The Riverside County District Attorney's Office issued a news release confirming the verdict and sentencing.
"The lives of countless families will never be the same because of one man’s anger, callousness, and outrageous conduct, and I am grateful to Judge Navarro for imposing the maximum sentence in this case," District Attorney Mike Hestrin said during the sentencing, per PEOPLE. The families of the victims, including Daniel's father, Craig Hawkins, read personal statements to express their feelings and the impact of the tragic loss on their lives. "Every day we sense the absence of this young man," Hawkins said. "The hole in our hearts and lives from the taking of our son’s life is staggering."
Who is Anurag Chandra?
Anurag Chandra is a 45-year-old Indian-American man from Corona in Southwest California, who was found guilty by a jury of multiple counts of murder and attempted murder related to the deaths of three teenagers.
What did Anurag Chandra do?
A few teenagers were reportedly having a sleepover on January 19, 2020, and one of them had been dared to play a prank commonly known as "Ding-Dong Ditch." They targeted the home of another teenager whom they believed lived there. As per the California Highway Patrol's investigation, the victims drove to a nearby home, where one of them got out of the Prius they were in, rang the doorbell at Chandra's residence, and quickly returned to the car.
Subsequently, Chandra chased the teens in his own car, repeatedly colliding with the Prius, until he deliberately accelerated to 99 miles per hour and crashed into the back of their car. The force of the impact caused the Prius to veer off the road and collide with a tree, leading to the tragic outcome. Chandra did not report the crash and drove away.
The convict later claimed in court that he chased their car after one of the boys rang his doorbell and showed his buttocks before driving away. He stated that he feared for the safety of his family, which led to the tragic incident. He even testified of having consumed 12 beers in less than three hours before the teenagers rang his doorbell. Regarding the collision, he claimed that he hit the Prius from behind when it suddenly braked. Chandra was arrested on January 20, 2020, and has been in custody at the Robert Presley Detention Center in Riverside since then.
