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Arraignment of Temescal Valley man who faces triple murder charges postponed

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A 42-year-old Temescal Valley man charged with three counts of murder for what prosecutors said was an intentional ramming of a car filled with teens who had played a doorbell-ringing prank at his house appeared in court Thursday afternoon, Jan 23, for the first time, but the arraignment hearing was delayed to Feb. 21.

  • Anurag Chandra appears in court for charges in the Temescal Valley car-ramming that claimed the lives of three teen boys on Thursday Jan. 23, 2020. (Photo by Milka Soko, Contributing Photographer)

  • Anurag Chandra appears in court for charges in the Temescal Valley car-ramming that claimed the lives of three teen boys on Thursday Jan. 23, 2020. (Photo by Milka Soko, Contributing Photographer)

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  • Anurag Chandra leaves the court after appearing for charges in the Temescal Valley car-ramming that claimed the lives of three teen boys on Thursday Jan. 23, 2020. (Photo by Milka Soko, Contributing Photographer)

  • Anurag Chandra (Courtesy California Highway Patrol)

  • A memorial sits at the site Tuesday afternoon Jan. 21, 2020 where three teens were killed and three others were injured Sunday night on Temescal Canyon Road when a driver intentionally rammed their Toyota Prius, according to the California Highway Patrol, in Temescal Valley south of Corona. Those killed were identified as Daniel Hawkins, 16, Corona; Drake Ruiz, 16, Corona; and Jacob Ivascu, 16, Riverside. Anurag Chandra, 42, of Corona was arrested on suspicion of murder and assault with a deadly weapon. “It was an intentional act, “ said CHP Lt. David Yokley at a news conference. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)

  • California Highway Patrol Lt. David Yokley speaks about the hit-and-run crash in Temescal Valley that claimed the lives of three teenage boys and left three other injured during a press conference outside the CHP office in Riverside on Monday, Jan. 20, 2020. Yokley said the suspect, Anurag Chandra, 42, of Corona, was arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder. (Photo by Watchara Phomicinda, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

  • Anurag Chandra, 42, is arrested in a Temescal Valley neighborhood near the scene of a car crash that killed three teen boys and injured three others on Sunday, Jan. 19, 2020. Witnesses told the California Highway Patrol Chandra had rammed the car the boys were in, then drove his damaged car away from the scene. ( Nathan Wilking of RVCNEWS)

  • The California Highway Patrol investigates the scene of a crash that killed three teens and injured three others at Temescal Canyon Road and Trilogy Parkway in the Temescal Valley area south of Corona on Monday, Jan. 20, 2020. The crash was reported at 10:28 p.m. Sunday according to the Riverside Fire Department. (Photo by Watchara Phomicinda, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

  • The damaged front end of the white Infiniti sedan that witnesses said was driven from the scene of an accident that claimed the lives of three teen boys in the Temescal Valley on Sunday, Jan. 19, 2020. (Nathan Wilking RVCNEWS)

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Anurag Chandra was charged earlier in the day with three counts of murder and three counts of attempted murder in connection with the Sunday night car wreck near his home that left three 16-year-old boys dead and three other teens injured, the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office said.

The prosecutor’s office said the boys were having a sleepover Sunday and, on a dare, drove in a Toyota Prius to a nearby home on Mojeska Summit Drive to ring a doorbell and run.

Chandra, who lived in the home where the prank was played, got into his Infiniti sedan and chased the youths in the Prius, authorities said

The California Highway Patrol said Chandra intentionally rammed the back of the Prius, forcing the driver to lose control and hit a tree at Temescal Canyon Road near Trilogy Parkway. Temescal Valley is a county area south of Corona.

The district attorney’s special-circumstance allegation of multiple murders makes Chandra eligible for the death penalty if convicted as currently charged. District Attorney Michael Hestrin has not made a decision on pursuing that sentence, spokesman John Hall said.

“We believe this was something done egregiously,” Hall said after Thursday’s hearing. “It’s just beyond what someone’s reaction should be to someone ringing your doorbell and running away.”

The Riverside County Coroner’s Office identified those killed as Daniel Hawkins, 16, of Corona; Drake Ruiz, 16, of Corona;  and Jacob Ivascu, 16, of Riverside. The District Attorney’s Office on Thursday said the survivors included two boys ages 13 and 14, and the driver, who is 18.

Parents of Hawkins, Ruiz and Ivascu spoke briefly outside court Thursday. They did not mention the defendant.

“We are appreciative of the community. We are just thankful there are a lot of beautiful people,” Craig Hawkins said. “They (the boys) didn’t deserve what happened to them.”

Hawkins choked up as he spoke, prompting Debbie Ruiz to place her hand on his back.

Said Alex Ivascu: “I know justice will be served.”

Chandra appeared in court wearing a red jail jumpsuit signifying an at-risk inmate. Judge David Gunn approved of Deputy Public Defender Christine Juneau’s request to allow him to wear civilian clothes at future hearings. Gunn denied Juneau’s motion to prohibit the media from photographing or filming Chandra at Thursday’s hearing.

Chandra remained in custody on a no-bail hold at Robert Presley Detention Center in downtown Riverside.

Staff writer Richard K. De Atley contributed to this report.