On March 22, 2019, the felony vehicular manslaughter case against Jazz Hayhurst-Loric was dismissed. Not because of any flaws in the case against him, which was solid, but because of a procedural error by the court.
The legal rationale behind the dismissal has been described as an “obscure” bit of law. It shouldn’t be. That error, made in ignorance of the law, caused a killer to go unpunished. This site was created in the hope of preventing such a travesty of justice from happening again.
The site of the crash on Highway 1. Image from Google Maps.
What Happened
On Feb. 10, 2017, Jazz Hayhurst-Loric took methamphetamine and, while driving from Healdsburg to Santa Cruz, crossed the center divide and crashed head-on into Kevin Archibald, who died from his injuries. Jazz was charged with felony vehicular manslaughter, along with misdemeanor charges for being under the influence of a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance, and driving without a valid driver’s license. He pled not guilty to all charges and was put on trial. Because of a procedural error made by the judge during the course of the trial, the case was dismissed. Jazz will never face any penalty for killing Kevin.
Kevin
Hear from Kevin’s family and friends and understand how he touched people’s lives and made the world a better place.
Take Action
Learn the facts about drugged driving and what you can do to help save lives.