Murder defendant apologizes for causing SoCal commuter rail derailment deaths

Defendant 'Sorry' for SoCal Commuter Rail Deaths

By LINDA DEUTSCH AP Special Correspondent
LOS ANGELES May 27, 2008 (AP)
The Associated Press


A murder defendant apologized Tuesday for causing a commuter train disaster that killed 11 people, testifying that he was trying to kill himself and never meant to harm anyone else.
n
Juan Alvarez, 29, gazes towards the ceiling after his conviction of 11 counts of first-degree... Expand
Juan Alvarez, 29, gazes towards the ceiling after his conviction of 11 counts of first-degree murder, Thursday, June 26, 2008 in Los Angeles. Alvarez claimed he was attempting suicide when he triggered a 2005 rail disaster and could face the death penalty. Two commuter trains collided into a tangled mass of smoking wreckage littered with victims after Juan Alvarez left a gasoline-drenched sport-utility vehicle on railroad tracks, Jan. 26, 2005 in Glendale, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. Collapse
(Bob Chamberlin/AP Photo)

On the witness stand, Juan Alvarez, 29, asked for forgiveness from families of those killed in the January 2005 disaster involving two Metrolink trains. Some relatives of the dead were present as Alvarez testified.

Alvarez said he poured gas over himself and his Jeep, took out a lighter and then decided he did not want to burn himself to death because it would be too painful. He said he then drove onto railroad tracks northeast of Los Angeles in Glendale, hoping a train would smash into his vehicle and kill him quickly.

Prosecutors allege that Alvarez had made not a suicide attempt, but a bid for attention from his wife. He had fled the Jeep by the time a Metrolink train hit the vehicle, then struck a parked freight train and was struck by another Metrolink train going the other way. About 180 people were injured.


Alvarez has pleaded not guilty to 11 counts of murder and one count of arson. He could face the death penalty if convicted.

Alvarez said after he decided not to kill himself, he tried but couldn't move the SUV. He said he saw the train's bright lights before jumping out of the vehicle.

"I feel terrible and I ask for forgiveness," Alvarez said. "I know some of the family members are here today. I'm very sorry for what happened. I never meant to hurt any of your loved ones. That could have been my mom or dad."

Alvarez said several times that he did not think anyone else would be hurt and had no idea that the train could derail.

Alvarez testified he had made other suicide attempts, once laying down on a road waiting for a car to run over him and twice stabbing himself.

Deputy District Attorney Cathryn Brougham said in opening statements last month that Alvarez had threatened to kill his wife and staged the accident to get her attention. She said he succeeded because after he was jailed on murder charges his wife withdrew a restraining order and visited him regularly.

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.