Former Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Josh Klinghoffer will avoid jail time over the fatal car accident that claimed the life of a pedestrian last year.
Klinghoffer was facing vehicular manslaughter charges after allegedly running over and killing 47-year-old Israel Sanchez at a crosswalk in Alhambra, California. The victim's daughter, Ashley Sanchez, originally filed a lawsuit for wrongful death in July 2024 following the incident on March 18. The case was later escalated to a charge of vehicular manslaughter.
Rolling Stone reports the guitarist appeared in an Alhambra court on May 28. He pleaded no contest to misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter without gross negligence, and was sentenced to one year of informal probation and 60 days of community labor.
Klinghoffer, who replaced John Frusciante in RHCP between 2009 and 2015, was alleged to have been driving a Black 2022 GMC Yukon down Meridian Avenue near West Main Street in Alhambra. The plaintiffs allege Klinghoffer was using his phone when he took a sudden left turn, causing him to hit the 47-year-old in the back.
The Sanchez family also claimed he had been driving without license plates and “made no braking or slowing motion until after he fatally struck.”
Sanchez was rushed to Huntington Hospital where he was pronounced dead shortly after. Blunt force trauma was revealed as his cause of death.
Los Angeles County Judge Rosa Fregoso ruled that Klinghoffer must also attend a driver safety class and pay a restitution – the figure of which will be determined at a later date.
After Klinghoffer entered his plea, a prosecutor warned him that any similar incident in the future could see him facing more serious charges. “If you continue to drive while distracted, and as a result of your driving someone is killed, you can be charged with murder,” said the prosecutor.
Ashley, Israel Sanchez’s daughter, is said to have broken down crying when delivering a victim impact statement, saying, “My father was an extraordinary grandfather to my [children]. His absence has left an irreversible void in our lives.”
She called her Israel “the heart of our family,” and said Klinghoffer’s actions had caused her “deep and lasting trauma,” adding that her father’s death was an “avoidable loss.”
A hearing for the civil case is slated for July 1.
The guitarist did not comment on the charges when they came to light. He was on tour with Pearl Jam at the time after he joined as a touring musician in 2021. He had been on release on his own recognizance.
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