LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — A Utah man accused of a DUI crash that left a man and two children dead and several others injured is now facing murder charges.
The Nye County District Attorney’s office said it believes the multi-crash in Nov. 2021 on U.S. 95 just south of Beatty was an “intentional event” and the law supports charging Christos Vrachnos with murder.
“Crimes on our highways can be just as deadly as other violent offenses, just as devastating to a family, and
our response needs to be in line with that reality,” said the Nye County news release.
The three victims killed in the crash were identified as 41-year-old Thomas Catan, 12-year-old Abiel Catan, and 7-year-old Ayana Catan. All three victims were Washington residents.
- 3 counts of murder
- 3 counts of DUI causing death
- 3 counts of DUI causing serious bodily harm
- 1 count of failure to drive on the right half of the road
- 1 count of resisting a public officer
- 1 count of false statement to/obstruct public officer
- 1 count of unlawful restraint of dog
- 1 count of failure to obey officer regarding traffic laws
If convicted on the murder charges, Vrachnos could spend the rest of his life in prison. He has a preliminary hearing scheduled for Sept. 12, 2022 at the Beatty Justice Court.