Man found guilty in wrong-way DUI crash on Rt. 219 that killed Johnstown woman Olivia Red

EBENSBURG, Pa. (WJAC) — A West Virginia man on trial for driving drunk during a deadly wrong-way crash on State Route 219 in May of 2018 has been found guilty on all counts, a jury concluded Monday.

Day four of the trial against, West Virginia man, Chase Turner took place Monday, where the jury was given the case to deliberate.

Turner was facing seven criminal charges related to the deadly crash, including driving under the influence, homicide by motor vehicle, aggravated assault and reckless endangerment.

The crash took the life of Johnstown woman, Olivia Red and injured two passengers.

Over the course of the four days of testimonies, the commonwealth called 24 witnesses to the stand but the defense did not call anyone to testify.

Monday, during the final day of testimonies, the commonwealth called a forensic DNA scientist from the Pennsylvania State Police to the stand, who is considered an expert in court.

She testify saying Turner’s DNA was found on the front, driver’s side air bag.

The defense argued, the passenger in Turner’s pickup truck at the time of the crash, Julio Alejos DNA was also on the driver’s side airbag.

But the expert explained Alejos DNA was also on the passenger’s front side air bag which did not have any of Turner’s DNA on the passenger air bag.

During closing arguments the defense said Turner originally lied at the scene of the crash when he told witnesses and first responders there was a designated driver who he let drive his pickup truck.

The defense says Turner lied, not to protect himself, but to protect his friend, Alejos because Turner says Alejos was driving under the influence.

When Alejos testified during the first week of the trial, he said he does not remember anything about the crash until he woke up in the median of 219 after the crash.

He also testified he does not remember who was driving at the time of the crash because he was “very drunk.”

The commonwealth’s closing argument reiterated their opening statements saying the key to this trial is proving who was driving the pickup truck at the time when it collided with Olivia Red’s sedan on 219.

The commonwealth said the evidence they showed during the trial proves Turner was the one behind the wheel at the time of the crash.

Doctors, who were classified as experts testified throughout the trial saying Turner’s injuries matched the type of injuries the driver of this crash would had sustained from this kind of crash, where the axel of the pickup truck was pushed up, into the driver’s side of the car floorboard.

Although there were no eyewitnesses who saw who was behind the wheel of Turner’s pickup truck at the time of the crash.

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