A Riverside County judge ruled there was not enough evidence to send a Palm Springs CEO to trial on a charge of second-degree murder in the death of a woman who was struck and killed by a car.
Judge John Ryan said William Rodriguez can still stand trial on two other charges in the death of 60-year-old Christina Barrington: hit and run causing death or serious injury, and driving while having a license previously suspended or revoked for a DUI conviction.
After a preliminary hearing Monday, Aug. 31, Ryan ruled county prosecutors had not presented enough evidence to allow the murder charge to proceed to trial.
Neither Rodriguez's attorney nor the prosecutor from the Riverside County District Attorney's Office spoke with reporters after the court
hearing concluded Monday.
Another hearing has been scheduled for mid September before a potential trial.
Barrington was hit and killed while riding her scooter in Cathedral City shortly before 1 a.m. Friday, Oct. 11, 2024, Cathedral City police said.
Police later later identified Rodriguez as the driver of the black 2021 Porsche that struck Barrington and said Rodriguez had spent the evening drinking at Acrisure Arena in Thousand Palms, as well as two bars in downtown Palm Springs, before the crash.
Rodriguez was CEO of Palm Springs-based Silvercrest Advertising.
Police alleged in court documents that after the collision on East Palm Canyon Drive, Rodriguez turned south onto Cathedral Canyon Drive and “drove through some side streets to avoid capture.”
Investigators also said surveillance footage was found of Rodriguez consuming alcohol at “several locations” in the hours before the crash. Rodriguez was seen leaving the bar Dick’s in downtown Palm Springs about 10 minutes before the crash with an “unsteady gait” and "staggering at times consistent with being impaired," according to an investigator’s declaration in support of the arrest warrant.
Earlier in the evening, Rodriguez attended a concert at Acrisure Arena where he shared a bottle of vodka with four to five other people in a suite, according to an investigator’s declaration in support of no bail. (Eric Clapton performed at the arena that night.)
“Mr. Rodriguez never reported this collision, even after police impounded his vehicle, though he reported to a co-worker that his vehicle was stolen and wrecked,” the declaration states.
Additionally, Rodriguez left town the weekend after the crash and went to Las Vegas, where surveillance video likewise shows him drinking, including an apparent champagne toast, Officer Jeffrey Bird of Cathedral City police wrote in a sworn court document.
The investigators said in the sworn court document they had evidence that Rodriguez had been driving with a suspended license for over 10 years.
Prior reporting by Desert Sun staff writer Tom Coulter was used in this story.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Judge rejects murder count for Palm Springs CEO in alleged hit-and-run
