Red Hot Chili Peppers Ex-Guitarist Avoids Jail in Vehicular Manslaughter Plea Deal

Josh Klinghoffer, the former Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist who recently toured with Pearl Jam, accepted a no-jail plea deal Wednesday to resolve allegations he failed to yield while driving and accidentally struck and killed a pedestrian last year.

The musician appeared in a courtroom in Alhambra, California, 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. He also must complete a driver safety class and pay restitution to be determined at a later date, Los Angeles County Judge Rosa Fregoso said.

Prosecutors filed the criminal charge against Klinghoffer last August after the deadly accident on March 18, 2024. Officials said Klinghoffer, 45, was driving a black 2022 GMC Yukon when his vehicle struck pedestrian Israel Sanchez in a crosswalk. Sanchez, 47, was pronounced dead at a hospital later that day. His cause of death was blunt force trauma.

After Klinghoffer entered his plea Wednesday, a prosecutor read an advisement 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 said he understood.

Ashley Sanchez, the victim’s only daughter, broke down crying as she delivered a victim impact statement to the court. “My father was an extraordinary grandfather to my [children],” she said Wednesday. “His absence has left an irreversible void in our lives.”

Struggling to compose herself, Ashley said her father was “the heart of our family.” She praised his passion 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.

Addressing Klinghoffer, Ashley said his actions had caused her “deep and lasting trauma.” She called the death of her father an “avoidable loss that has shaken my family.”

Sanchez’s family filed a wrongful death and negligence lawsuit against Klinghoffer last July, claiming he was on his cellphone and driving a car with no plates when the incident occurred. The lawsuit alleged Klinghoffer “was likely driving while distracted” and “made no braking or slowing motion until after he fatally struck.”

In January, a judge denied the family’s renewed attempt to seek punitive damages in the case. For a second time, the judge ruled that the stated claims against Klinghoffer did not rise to the level of “willful and conscious disregard” for the safety of others.  

A hearing in the civil case is set for July 1.

From Rolling Stone US.