Authorities filed charges Wednesday against an Arcadia couple for a March 22 hit-and-run on the 60 Freeway in Industry that killed an 11-year-old girl and injured her father.
The California Highway Patrol alleged one of the suspects, 39-year-old Priscilla Cornejo, was driving the wrong way when she crashed into the victims’ car. Angelique Zarate died from blunt trauma, according to the coroner’s office.
Priscilla Cornejo will be arraigned April 18 at Pomona Superior Court for murder, hit-and-run resulting in death or serious injury, hit-and-run, driving on the wrong side of the road resulting in injury or death, reckless driving and filing a false report of car theft, according to court records.
Johnathon Cornejo, 33, who was charged with murder and being an accessory after the fact, has the same arraignment date.
Investigators with the California Highway Patrol arrested the Cornejos at their Arcadia home on April 3 and also searched the residence, a department statement said.
It wasn’t clear how the CHP identified the couple as suspects. A CHP spokesperson couldn’t be reached for comment on Thursday.
Priscilla Cornejo was driving a Hyundai Sonata westbound on the 60 Freeway, east of the 605 Freeway, just after 4 a.m. on March 22. Her husband was following her in a Ford Taurus.
She rear-ended a tractor-trailer, causing it to jack-knife, the CHP statement said, adding the Sonata spun and came to a stop facing the wrong way in the westbound lanes.
The suspect fled and drove the the wrong way with the headlights turned off, the statement said. Johnathon Cornejo allegedly made a U-turn on the freeway and followed his wife, also driving the wrong way, CHP officials said.
About two minutes later, the Sonata collided head-on with a Corolla on the westbound 60, east of Crossroads Parkway. The Corolla’s driver, Rafael Zarate, was injured while his passenger and daughter, Angelique Zarate, died at the scene.
After the crash, authorities alleged the suspect abandoned the Sonata, got into the Taurus and the couple left.
As of Thursday, Priscilla Cornejo was being held at the Century Regional Detention Facility in Lynwood while Johnathon Cornejo remains in custody at Men’s Central Jail in Los Angeles. Their bail is $2 million each.
