Indian-origin man found guilty of murdering teens in doorbell prank case in California

An Indian-origin man was found guilty of killing three teenagers after they played a doorbell ditch prank at his home in 2020, according to Fox News.

The convicted man, Anurag Chandra, who is a resident of Riverside County was found guilty of three counts of attempted murder and three counts of first-degree murder on Friday, April 28, 2023, New York Times reported. The sentencing for Chandra is scheduled for July, and according to the Times, he “could see life in prison without the possibility of parole.”

The case goes back to the year 2020 when a group of teenage boys rang Chandra’s bell on a dare.

Chandra claimed that the boys flashed their buttocks before running away.

On January 23, 2020, Chandra, who was drunk that day, had allegedly killed three teenagers by crashing into them off the road, reported Fox News.

The prosecutor said that Chandra allegedly killed three teenagers by running them off the road after they played a doorbell-ringing prank on the man.

The trial started on April 18, 2023, in Riverside, CA.

Chandra said he was “extremely, extremely mad” at the prank and claimed he was worried about his family’s safety.

Chandra followed the boys and rammed their Toyota Prius off the road, which slammed into a tree in Temescal Valley. Chandra then fled the scene, according to Fox News.

The suspect testified that he did not plan to crash into the boys’ car, according to the Riverside Press-Enterprise. Chandra also said he did not stop after rear-ending their vehicle because he did not think anyone had been injured.

Chandra admitted that he drove up to 99 miles per hour before the fatal crash. Corona residents Daniel Hawkins and Drake Ruiz passed away due to their injuries, along with Riverside resident Jacob Ivascu.

All three teenagers who died were 16 years old. The driver, who was 18 years old, survived, along with two 13-year-old passengers.

Chandra was previously accused of a domestic violence incident in 2020 before the fatal crash, reported Fox News.