Crime & Safety
Marjorie Reitzell, Suspect in Double Fatal DUI Crash, Appears in Court
The Redwood City woman entered a plea of not guilty to all charges related to the death of a Menlo Park couple walking their dog on October 24.
Marjorie Ann Reitzell, the Redwood City woman suspected driving drunk while running down and killing a Menlo Park couple as they walked their dog on Chilco Street, made her first court appearance on Tuesday.
The 53-year-old defendant has been charged with two counts of gross vehicular manslaughter and two felony counts of driving while under the influence causing injury, according to the San Mateo County District Attorney's Office. Reitzell did not appear in court until Tuesday because she required medical treatment following the incident.
San Mateo County prosecutors have not released a specific blood alcohol level for Reitzell but said it was “significantly more than twice the legal limit, and that after a day of heavy drinking, Reitzell veered her car onto a paved shoulder of the road, where her vehicle plowed into Kamal Singh, 45, and Balbir Singh, 50, who were out walking their Chihuahua. The couple leaves behind three teenaged children.
Prosecutors say Reitzell then ran her vehicle into a car occupied by four teenagers, causing them minor injuries, before striking a tree.
According a November 9 article in the San Mateo Daily Journal, Reitzell has a long history of criminal convictions, including several drug-related, and a prior misdemeanor conviction of driving while under the influence from last November.
Whether or not Reitzell would appear in court each day since the charges were filed has been an ongoing guessing game for prosecutors. Each day since the arraignment, District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe would give updates on whether or not the suspect had been given medical clearance to show up at the courthouse. By Monday afternoon, Reitzell was cleared and on Tuesday she appeared in Redwood City Felony Court before Judge Mark Forcum, where she pleaded not guilty to all charges.
The case was set for preliminary hearing on January 17, 2014 at 9:00 a.m. Reitzell remains in custody on $2,000,000 bail. Richard Keyes was assigned as her public defense attorney.
The deputy district attorney on the case is Sean F. Gallagher.
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