Ex-Red Hot Chili Peppers Guitarist Josh Klinghoffer Avoids Jail Time for Vehicular Manslaughter Charge
Former Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Josh Klinghoffer accepted a no-jail plea deal for a vehicular manslaughter charge
Klinghoffer was charged with the death of Israel Sanchez, who was walking to the grocery store in 2024 to purchase ingredients for soup for his family in Alhambra, Calif.
The guitarist will be required to complete a driver safety class and pay restitution to be determined at a later dateFormer Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Josh Klinghoffer accepted a no-jail plea deal for a vehicular manslaughter charge in the 2024 death of Israel Sanchez on Wednesday, May 28.
Klinghoffer, 45, appeared in court in Alhambra, Calif., and pleaded no contest to misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter without gross negligence. He was sentenced to one year of informal probation and 60 days of community labor, per Rolling Stone.
The guitarist, who recently toured with Pearl Jam after leaving the Chili Peppers in 2019, must also complete a driver safety class and pay restitution to be determined at a later date, according to Los Angeles County Judge Rosa Fregoso, Rolling Stone reported.
After Klinghoffer entered his plea, a prosecutor read a statement that warned against distracted driving. 'If you continue to drive while distracted, and as a result of your driving someone is killed, you can be charged with murder,' the prosecutor said. Klinghoffer responded that he understood, according to the outlet.
Sanchez's only daughter, Ashley Sanchez, cried in court while reading her victim impact statement, the outlet reports. 'My father was an extraordinary grandfather to my [children],' she said.
She continued, 'His absence has left an irreversible void in our lives." Ashley described her father as 'the heart of our family," and praised his love for cooking and painting, along with his 'unique gift for soothing' his loved ones. 'His meals were more than just food. They were expressions of love and care,' she said.
Ashley referred to her father's death as an 'avoidable loss that has shaken my family.'
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The family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Klinghoffer in July 2024. The lawsuit, previously obtained by PEOPLE, claimed Klinghoffer was 'likely driving while distracted' and was allegedly 'using a device mere seconds before' he struck Sanchez in the back while making a left turn. Sanchez was 47.
Klinghoffer accepted the plea deal to resolve allegations he failed to yield while driving in 2024, resulting in him striking and killing Sanchez in his wake. Sanchez was on the way to the grocery store to make soup for his family. The accident allegedly occurred on a marked crosswalk.
Officials said Klinghoffer was driving a black 2022 GMC Yukon, and confirmed that Sanchez's cause of death was blunt force trauma.
In January, a judge denied the family's renewed attempt to seek damages in the lawsuit, Rolling Stone reported. The judge ruled for a second time that the stated claims against Klinghoffer did not rise to the level of 'willful and conscious disregard' for the safety of others.
A hearing for the case in civil court is set for July 1, per the outlet.
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