Photo: Riverside County Sheriff's Office
A California man was convicted of killing three teenagers after they played a prank on him. On January 19, 2020, a group of boys pulled up in front of Anurag Chandra's house. One of the boys got out of the car, rang his doorbell, and then ran back to the waiting Prius.
Chandra became incensed with the teens, got into his car, and started chasing after them. During the trial, he admitted he drank about 12 beers and was "extremely, extremely mad" about being a victim of the prank, commonly known as ding-dong ditch.
During the chase, Chandra bumped into the rear of their car, causing it to spin out of control, careen off the roadway, and slam into a pole.
Daniel Hawkins, Drake Ruiz, and Jacob Ivascu were killed in the crash. The driver, Sergio Campusano, along with two other passengers, Joshua Hawkins, and Joshua Ivascu, were injured in the wreck.
Chandra was convicted of three counts of first-degree murder and three counts of attempted murder. He will be sentenced on July 14 and faces life in prison without the possibility of parole.
"The murder of these young men was a horrendous and senseless tragedy for our community," Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin said in a statement Friday. "This is an important step toward justice."