Anurag Chandra (45) forced a car off the road, killing three teens.

DLNews Staff:

Three 16-year-olds were ripped from life - because of a ringing prank.

Anurag Chandra (45) has been found guilty of three counts of murder and three counts of attempted murder. The sentence is not yet known. The death penalty is formally possible in California but has not been practiced for years.

What happened on January 19, 2020?

Six friends, ages 13 to 18, were having a sleepover party. On a dare, one of them was supposed to either jump into a pool in the neighborhood of the city of Corona or ring a bell for Anurag Chandra. Fatally, the teenager opted for the latter.

The Toyota Prius crashed into this tree.

While the rest waited in the car - a Toyota Prius - the buddy jumped out of the car and ran to Anurag Chandra's house. After Chandra opened it, the teenager showed him his bare butt, sprinted to the car, and the friends drove away.

However, the hotheaded male with a police record got into his Infiniti Q50 and sped off after them. In the chase, Anurag Chandra rammed the other vehicle off the road at 160 mph. As a result, the Prius crashed into a tree, killing Daniel Hawkins, Drake Ruiz, and Jacob Ivascu (all 16). The other passengers were injured, and the driver who killed them fled.

Three 16-year-olds, Drake Ruiz, Daniel Hawkins, and Jacob Ivascu, died.

At the trial, the defendant went on record as being "extremely, extremely pissed off." He had drunk twelve beers before the horror crash and had not noticed that anyone had been injured in the accident. At the time of the crime, the 45-year-old was already under investigation for assault and child endangerment.

District Attorney Mike Hestrin wrote in a statement, "The murder of these young men was a terrible and senseless tragedy for our community. I thank the jury for their verdict. This is an important step toward justice."