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Did Anastasia Duval die in an accident, or something else? Her twin Alexandria Duval faces a bench trial in her death Tuesday in Maui County, Hawaii. Circuit Judge Peter T. Cahill will decide if this really constitutes second-degree murder. Court is set to begin 2:30 p.m. EST.
The sisters were involved in a May 29, 2016 car crash. The defendant was driving. Authorities claim the pair got into an argument, and Alexandria drove the SUV off the highway on purpose, resulting an a 200-foot drop and Anastasia’s death. The prosecution reiterated their stance in opening statements on Monday. Roadside evidence and the SUV’s data recorder show showed that the vehicle made a hard acceleration, hard left-turn, and didn’t break. Eyewitness testimony would also show that Alexandria accelerated the vehicle and jerked hard to the left. What she did, she did on purpose.
Duval’s attorney Birney B. Bevar called the death a “tragic accident.” According to him, witness testimony would show the SUV’s driver and passenger were fighting. Alexandria’s hair was found on Anastasia during the autopsy. This showed that the alleged victim pulled her sister’s hair, leading to the crash. Picture of the road undermined the prosecution’s argument about the sharp turn, he said. The airbag modulator showed that Duval took her foot off the gas while her hair was pulled, and missed the break. There was no intent to kill.
Prosecutors said that the sisters’ argument played no part in the actual crash. Duval almost dodged trial after a judge dropped the charge against her in June 2016, citing lack of evidence. Authorities persisted, however, and convinced a grand jury to indict her the following October. If convicted, she faces life in prison with the possibility of parole.
The Duval sisters, born Allison Dadow (Alexandria) and Ann Dadow (Anastasia) ran a yoga studio together in Palm Beach County, Florida.
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