Grand jury indicts driver in fatal El Dorado Hills DUI crash

(FOX40.COM) — The El Dorado County District Attorney's Office announced that a grand jury has indicted a 35-year-old woman on multiple felony charges, including murder, in connection with a fatal DUI crash that killed an 84-year-old woman and injured two children. The DA's office said the indictment against Cheyanne Wright of Cameron Park was returned Wednesday, charging her with murder, gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, DUI causing injury and two counts of child endangerment. Prosecutors said the case had previously been filed by the county's DA's office. Wright is scheduled to be arraigned Friday in Department 1 of El Dorado County Superior Court. Authorities said the charges stem from a collision that occurred around 7:50 a.m. on May 3, 2025, on Green Valley Road near Silva Valley Parkway in El Dorado Hills. The DA's office said in a press release that the victim, identified as 84-year-old Joan Allison, was driving a Toyota Camry and was pronounced dead at the scene. Officials added that Wright and her two children, who were passengers, were injured and taken to UC Davis Medical Center for treatment. “This is a devastating and entirely preventable tragedy,” District Attorney Vern Pierson said in a statement. “An innocent life was lost, and two children were placed in harm’s way because of a decision to drive under the influence.” The crash was investigated by the California Highway Patrol, the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office Coroner Unit and the UC Davis Police Department.