Deadly Selma crash: Suspect postpones arraignment, 8-year-old's funeral being planned

Saturday, March 2, 2019
Deadly Selma crash: Suspect postpones arraignment, 8-year-old's funeral being planned
Karmjit Singh postponed his arraignment until late next week.

The man accused of a deadly crash in Selma faced a judge on Friday.

Karmjit Singh postponed his arraignment until late next week.

He said he wants to hire a private attorney, as the family of the 8-year-old boy killed in the crash continues to plan his funeral.

Cameras were not allowed in the courtroom Friday when Singh faced a judge.

He is facing murder charges and was driving on a suspended license at the time of the crash on Rose and Bethel.

"So the big question now is - was he under the influence at the time of this accident? Going 100 miles an hour, going through a stop sign, something's not right here," said ABC30 legal analyst Tony Capozzi.

He slammed into a family of three, killing the 8-year-old boy.

His parents - Scott and Megan Martzen - were also injured in the crash.

California Highway Patrol officers say at the crash scene the suspect declined a breathalyzer test.

Jeff Hammerschmidt, a Martzen family friend who once represented Megan, is also curious about the suspect's blood alcohol content.

"One of the things the officer and the DA would look at is whether the defendant was faking it or whether he couldn't give a sufficient breath sample because of the degrees of injury he suffered," said Hammerschmidt.

Singh walked into court handcuffed Friday and didn't appear to have any obvious or significant injuries.

Action News has learned he received a blood draw after the crash. The results have not been released but he is not facing drunk driving charges for the deadly crash.

Instead, he's facing one count of murder and driving on a suspended license from a prior DUI conviction.

Capozzi says based on the facts of the case, Singh's immigration detainer and $1.5 million bail amount, he will likely be locked up for quite some time.

"I think it's just egregious and it's going to be something that a jury and a judge is going to look at very seriously. I think the punishment in this case is going to be very severe," Capozzi said.

Scott and Megan remain hospitalized. Hammerschmidt describes them as heartbroken. So far a GoFundMe started for the family has collected close to $54,000.

Three of Singh's family members were in court on Friday to see the proceedings.

He will return to court next Friday to be arraigned.

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