Man, 60, Accused Of Intentionally Striking Woman With His Minivan Causing Her Death, Injuring Boyfriend
SANTA ANA (CBSLA.com) — A man is scheduled to be arraigned for murdering a woman by intentionally driving his minivan into her as well as purposely striking her boyfriend with the vehicle.
Nelson Ward, 60, Santa Ana, is charged with one felony count of murder and one felony count of assault with a deadly weapon.
If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 28 years to life in state prison.
On Sept. 12, 2015, Ward is accused of meeting 32-year-old Jessica Brown Carvajal and her boyfriend -- identified this past Sunday as 51-year-old Robert Shore -- in Buena Park.
The defendant allegedly invited Carvajal and the boyfriend into his van and spent he day driving around to various locations and drinking alcohol.
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At some point during the day, Ward reportedly gave Shore permission to drive while Carvajal was sitting in the passenger seat. Ward apparently went to sleep in the back of the vehicle.
Ward, police said, later woke up and became angry with the boyfriend for driving the van. The defendant demanded the victims get out of the vehicle. The boyfriend pulled into the driveway of a Buena Park Holiday Inn where he and Carvajal exited the minivan onto a sidewalk.
The defendant is accused of getting in the driver's side of the van and accelerating the vehicle over a divider and onto the sidewalk crushing Carvajal against a wall and also hitting her boyfriend.
Carvajal died at the scene and Shore suffered minor injuries from the crash.
Ward is accused of fleeing from the scene on foot.
The Buena Park Police Department located Ward a short time later at a nearby hotel and arrested him.
Ward is being held on $1 million bail.
