Star baseball player Fraser Bohm, 22, WAS being chased in road rage incident when he mowed down and killed four Pepperdine students in Malibu, lawyer claims

The baseball star charged with murder in a horror crash that killed four Pepperdine University students was being chased before the collision, his lawyer says. 

Fraser Bohm, 22, is facing four counts of murder after allegedly losing control of his BMW along the Pacific Coast Highway on October 17, plowing into parked cars in an incident that killed Niamh Rolston, 20, Peyton Stewart, Asha Weir and Deslyn Williams, all 21. 

His attorney, Michael Kraut, claimed in court that the former standout baseball star was involved in the crash because of a road rage incident that happened about three miles from the collision site. 

'We have evidence that the Sheriff’s Department did not want to take that clearly shows that there was a road rage incident that started at Duke’s, that this person chased him and tried to push him off the side of the road,' Kraut told KTLA. 

'When (Bohm) accelerated to get away from him, that's when the accident occurred,' he added. 

Bohm pleaded not guilty in his first court appearance on Wednesday, and his family have been seen in attendance in court this week as he faces the grisly charges. 

Fraser Bohm, 22, who allegedly mowed into and killed four Pepperdine University seniors with his BMW in Malibu, was in court Wednesday after being charged with murder

Niamh Ralston (left) was one of four Pepperdine University students killed when a BMW crashed into a parked car and then hit them in Malibu, while Peyton Stewart (right) recently completed a sought after internship at TikTok

Desilyn Williams (left) a native of Georgia, pictured on her LinkedIn page and Asha Weir (right) was due to graduate from the Seaver College of Liberal Arts in the Spring

Bohm's family pictured leaving a Los Angeles courthouse on October 25, 2023

Kraut claimed that security footage from the scene has been gathered to back up his allegations over a road rage incident.

He also alleged that the driver of the other car has been identified, adding: 'The person admitted to a family member that they did drive him off the road.' 

Kraut reportedly did not commit to subpoenaing the driver to make them testify in court, and said that information would be released at a later time. 

'I highly doubt that this gentleman will voluntarily come in and say, ‘I caused these four people to die,'' Kraut said. 

'It’s not fair to the investigation, and I want the police to do a proper investigation.' 

Early reports alleged that Bohm was speeding at over 100mph moments before the crash, but Kraut refuted these claims and said the 'black box' from his BMW will show he was driving at around 70mph. 

At his court appearance on Wednesday, Bohm entered a plea of not guilty, in the same hearing that saw his bail reduced from $8 million to $4 million. 

Kraut argued that the reduced bail remains too high, as he cited that his client held no previous criminal record or driving offenses. 

Kraut added that police are yet to determine whether Bohm was under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the crash, and said the 22-year-old should be freed so he can 'fight the charges effectively from the outside.' 

'I believe that the evidence is going to show that my client isn’t responsible. It’s the person who ran them off the road and said to people, he purposely ran them off,' Kraut concluded. 

Bohm's attorney Michael Kraut has claimed to have surveillance evidence showing Bohm was being chased by a road rage driver before the horror crash 

The family of the alleged killer pictured leaving the courthouse, where Bohm's bail was reduced from $8 million to $4 million 

The former standout high school baseball star allegedly tried to flee the scene after the crash before he was apprehended by onlookers. He entered a not guilty plea this week

Flowers were placed at the scene of the crash for the four Pepperdine seniors who were killed

Traces of the accident can still be seen at the scene, including what appears to be blood on a wall

The horror crash occurred on the evening of October 17, when the four Pepperdine seniors were walking along the Pacific Coast Highway near to a college fraternity. 

At the same time, Bohm, who was uninjured in the crash, allegedly slammed his BMW into a row of parked cars while the students waited nearby. 

Witnesses claimed Bohm tried to flee the scene immediately after the collision before he was apprehended by stunned onlookers.

Footage obtained by KTLA from the night of the crash showed a grim-faced Bohm being given a sobriety test by cops while the mangled remains of his red BMW are seen being towed away.

While it is unclear what Bohm now does for a living, video unearthed by DailyMail.com show he was a highly rated high school pitcher and played for Oaks Christian School before he graduated.

The private $31,250-a-year college prep school near Los Angeles counts Sofia Richie and Mariel Hemingway's model daughter Dree among its alumni.

L-R Victims Asha Weir, Niamh Rolston, Peyton Stewart, and Deslyn Williams are pictured enjoying a meal together with friends just weeks before they were mowed down and killed

The Pacific Coast Highway, the stretch of road where the horror crash took place, has earned a reputation as a perilous stretch. There have been 49 people killed on the road in 10 years 

Bohm still lives at home at his $8.7m Malibu gated 'estate', which was handed to Bohm's mother in his parents' divorce 

DailyMail.com previously revealed the speeding car that allegedly killed the four seniors was purchased by Bohm's mother Brooke, 57, using a down payment of $25,000 in 2017 – with the remaining installments paid by his dad Chris, 59.

According to a settlement that concluded the couple's 2018 divorce and obtained exclusively by DailyMail.com, the vehicle was gifted to Bohm on his 18th birthday.

The settlement also reveals details of his family's lavish lifestyle – including the secluded Malibu gated 'estate' Bohm's mother ended up with in the divorce.

His lavish estate is said to sit in a 'celebrity enclave' and includes a bespoke chef's kitchen and terraced gardens. The house was put up for sale in late September for $9,750,000 but within a week the price had been reduced to $8,795,000.

Bohm is the youngest of three siblings. His sisters Hunter, 25, and Haiden, 24, also live at the home along with their photographer mother.

The stretch of highway where the crash occurred has seen 49 deaths in the last 10 years, a staggering statistic that has earned it monikers including 'Dead Man's Curve' and 'Blood Alley.' 

Furious Malibu residents slammed city officials at a hostile town hall meeting on Monday to demand safety upgrades to the road, which still has much of the same infrastructure that it did in the 1950s.

'How many more deaths before something is done?' one tearful resident told the Malibu City Council.