Los Angeles County prosecutors announced Wednesday that they will not file charges against Caitlyn Jenner for her role in a fatal car crash on the Pacific Coast Highway in February. The L.A. County District Attorney’s office said that it would not be able to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Jenner was responsible for the accident that killed 69-year-old Kim Howe.
According to the LA Times, during the six month investigation into the accident, prosecutors determined that Jenner had been driving slightly below the speed limit when she rear-ended Howe’s car. The impact of the crash sent Howe’s vehicle into the path of a Hummer, which had been traveling in the other direction, ultimately leading to Howe’s death.
Back in August, L.A. County Sheriff’s Department detectives presented evidence to a judge that could have resulted in a misdemeanor manslaughter charge for Jenner, a crime that carries up to a one-year sentence in county jail. However, from witness interviews, cell phone records, and evidence taken from the vehicle’s computer, detectives found that no one involved had been using their phones at the time of the crash. They had no other evidence that Jenner had been inattentive before the accident.
Howe’s family is suing Jenner, alleging that she engaged in distracted driving that did indeed cause Howe’s death.
