Three Counts of Murder Filed After Crash Kills Couple and Unborn Child

Jennifer Loera Zarco had three weeks left – her due date was April 20, and she and her husband Marc Anthony Trejo Saldivar were weeks away from meeting their first child when a fleeing driver crashed into their car at over 100 miles per hour. Neither of them survived, and neither did the baby.

A 31-year-old Pomona man has been charged with three counts of murder in connection with the crash and faces 57 years to life in state prison if convicted on all counts, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.

A Police Response That Ended in Tragedy

The sequence of events began when the defendant allegedly rammed his truck into a police cruiser, then fled through residential streets at speeds exceeding 100 mph before slamming into the vehicle carrying Loera Zarco and Trejo Saldivar, according to the LA County District Attorney’s press release. Both were pronounced dead at the scene, and officers arrested the defendant there. Inside his vehicle, police recovered a loaded, unlicensed firearm and ammunition.

Three Counts of Murder

The LA County District Attorney charged the defendant with three counts of murder – one for each life lost in the collision – along with fleeing a pursuing peace officer causing death, assault with a deadly weapon upon a peace officer, and carrying a loaded, unregistered concealed firearm. His arraignment was continued to April 28 in Department N of the Pomona Courthouse, with bail set at no bail.

LA County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said his office will seek the maximum possible sentence, according to the DA’s press release.

A Couple Weeks Away From Everything

Jennifer Alejandra Loera Zarco was 25 years old, and her husband Marc Anthony Trejo Saldivar was 26. They had built a life together in Pomona and were preparing for a child – a couple known to neighbors and family as young and expectant, gone in a matter of seconds on a residential street. No public statements from the families have been released as of this writing.

The Charges and What Comes Next

The defendant has not been convicted and is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law, according to the LA County DA’s Office. His April 28 arraignment will be the next procedural milestone in the case.

Authorities have not released further information regarding the incident that preceded the pursuit.

References: Man Charged With Three Counts of Murder in Pomona Crash That Killed Pregnant Woman, Boyfriend | Pomona Man Charged With Murder in Deadly Crash That Killed Pregnant Woman and Husband