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Anastasia Duval died in a car crash on May 29, 2016. Was it an accident, or did her sister Alexandria Duval cause it on purpose? Court continues Wednesday in this bench trial for second-degree murder. The live stream is set to begin at 9:30 a.m. local time (2:30 p.m. EST) in Maui County, Hawaii. If convicted, the defendant would face life in prison with the possibility of parole.
Prosecutors said Alexandria intentionally drove off the highway, causing Anastasia’s death. In opening statements Monday, they said roadside evidence and the SUV’s data recorder would show that the SUV made a hard acceleration, hard left-turn, and didn’t break. Eyewitness testimony would also prove this.
The defense said that the available evidence actually shows the opposite: It was an accident. An eyewitness claimed to see the SUV’s passenger pull the driver’s hair. This caused the crash. Duval didn’t stop the vehicle, but that’s because she missed the break.
Lawrence Lau testified Monday to seeing the vehicle, and that he saw someone yanking on the driver’s head.
Dean Warrener testified Tuesday that he heard yelling from the SUV. It wasn’t from the driver, and probably came from the backseat.
“I wouldn’t know if I would characterize it as screaming, but it was loud,” he said under cross-examination. He said the driver smiled at him.
The Duval sisters, born Allison Dadow (Alexandria) and Ann Dadow (Anastasia) ran a yoga studio together in Palm Beach County, Florida. That business ended in 2014. They moved to Hawaii to start a new one, and had reportedly been having financial problems in the years leading up to the car crash.
Stay with Law&Crime.com and the Law&Crime Network for continuing coverage of the hearing.
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