Man Convicted of Murdering 3 Teens After Becoming Enraged by Doorbell Prank
The Associated Press reports Anurag Chandra, 45, was convicted of three counts of murder and three counts of attempted murder in the 2020 deaths of Drake Ruiz, Daniel Hawkins, and Jacob Ivascu, all 16, in Temescal Valley. The California man killed the three teens by ramming their car off the road after they played a doorbell prank on him. Three other teens were infrared in the crash.
On the night of Jan. 19, 2020, the teenagers played the common prank Ding-Dong-Ditch on Chandra. According to People, one of the teenagers jumped out of the Prius they were riding in, rang Chandra's doorbell, jumped back in the car, and drove off with the other friends. According to police, Chandra became so enraged he chased the boys down in his car, allegedly ramming into the car at high speed, sending the boys’ car into a tree and then a utility pole.
According to The Press-Enterprise, Chandra was driving at 99 mph in a 40 mph zone when he struck the Prius. During the trial, Chandra testified that he became alarmed when he saw someone in front of his house with a sweatshirt hood pulled over his head. Claiming he was afraid for his family’s safety, Chandra jumped into his 2019 Infinity and chased the Prius. Chandra also testified that he drank 12 beers in less than three hours before the teens rang his bell.
Chandra returned home after the crash and was later arrested. He faces life without parole and pleaded not guilty.
Janet Hawkins, the mother of Daniel Hawkins told People, "There's a peace knowing that [the boys] lived life here together on Earth, and they're now living their life in heaven together." A GoFundMe page has also been set up to help with the family’s expenses.
