California man found guilty of murdering teens who ding-dong ditched his house

A California man was recently found guilty of killing three teenage boys who played ding-dong ditch at his house in 2020.

Riverside County resident Anurag Chandra was found guilty of three counts of attempted murder and three counts of first-degree murder on Friday. 

The charges stemmed from a January 19, 2020 incident where a group of teenage boys rang Chandra’s bell on a dare. Chandra said that one of the teens flashed his buttocks before running away.

Chandra, who drank 12 beers the day of the crash, said he was “extremely, extremely mad” at the prank and claimed he was worried about his family’s safety.

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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.

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.

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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.

“The murder of these young men was a horrendous and senseless tragedy for our community,” District Attorney Mike Hestrin said in a statement. “I thank the jury for their verdict. This is an important step toward justice.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.