LOS ANGELES (Court TV) — A Los Angeles County judge denied a request to reduce bail for Fraser Michael Bohm, who is charged with four counts of murder in connection with a car crash that killed four Pepperdine University sorority sisters.
On Friday, Judge Thomas Rubinson rejected defense attorney Alan Jackson’s motion to lower Bohm’s bail from $4 million to $2 million during a hearing. Jackson argued the reduction was needed to free up funds for what he called an “expert-intensive defense.”
Fraser Michael Bohm (center) and his defense attorney, Alan Jackson (L), appear in court Sept. 5, 2025 for a bond reductio hearing. (Court TV)
“You’re basically asking me to reduce bond so he can retain private counsel and experts of his choice,” Rubinson said. “That is not a legitimate reason to reduce bail.”
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The judge agreed with prosecutors that there was no legal basis for the request.
“If Mr. Bohm cannot afford Mr. Jackson’s services, he is free to find other private counsel … or request appointment of the public defenders,” Rubinson said.
Jackson told the court that the bond company has frozen collateral from the sale of the Bohm family home because the bail amount is so high. He said reducing the bail would unfreeze the collateral needed to fund a defense that will include accident reconstructionists, human factors experts, psychological evaluations, vehicle event data recorder analysis and road safety analysis.
“We need to do that with experts,” Jackson said, adding that the defense looks forward to “getting the story out – the true story of what happened that night.”
The defense attorney said the family has exhausted all its assets, including draining retirement accounts, selling their home and borrowing from friends to stay in compliance with bail orders. Jackson submitted 150 character letters in support of the bail reduction request.
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Jackson argued that Bohm is not a flight risk or danger to the community, noting that he has not driven in two years.
Deputy District Attorney Nathan Bartos countered that the defense’s arguments don’t meet the legal requirements for reconsideration because there has been no change in circumstances regarding the defendant or the investigation. He noted that Bohm’s bond was already reduced from $8 million to $4 million.
“He can’t be indigent and afford bail at the same time,” Bartos said, adding that it’s the defendant’s choice how to allocate resources, not a matter of constitutional rights.
Bohm is currently out on $4 million bond. His next hearing is scheduled for October 8.
This story was reported by Emanuella Grinberg and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
