Transcription
Good morning. My name is Nathan Hawkman. I'm the district attorney of Los Angeles County. Uh, speaking today will be State Senator, myself, and then State Senator Barb Archeretta. Uh, he will be followed by Los Angeles City Council Member Tracy Park. And then we will have Jennifer Levy, who is Brun Levy's mother, uh, speaking at the end. At the end of this, we will then take questions.
Also standing at this podium with me are Manhattan Beach Police Captain Christian Iikinlob, who's standing in for Chief Rachel Johnson. We also have, uh, Deputy District Attorney Britain Brittany Vanoi and Deputy District Attorney Rachel Robinson. They're from our DUI, uh, training and prosecution section, also called DTAPs. Also with me is Manhattan Beach Police Department Sergeant Keith Cougley, Manhattan Beach Police Department Lieutenant Kelly Benjamin, Manhattan Beach Police Department Officer Jason Gaunt, Manhattan Beach Police, uh, Department Officer Nolan Barin. We also have from the Bureau of Investigation from the DA's office, Captain Jeff Bishop and the Chief of the Bureau of Investigation, Tony Lee. From the DA's office, we also have Assistant District Attorney Gilbert Wright, uh, and our director Priscilla Muso.
Today, we announce the charges that were filed last week against the, uh, individual Jana Rashelle Belt. Jana Relle Belt has been charged with the murder, the murder of Brun Levy, uh, with respect to a one, a one-count charge of murder. She's also been charged with one felony count of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and a misdemeanor count of driving when privilege, suspended, or revoked for driving with specified blood alcohol level. She is also, with respect to that last charge.
Please know that every charge, actually, not just that charge, but all charges are just that, they are charges. They are not evidence that we will present in court. That evidence will be presented in the form of legally admissible evidence before a court and ultimately, if necessary, before a jury where we will show beyond a reasonable doubt that each one of these charges we have brought against Miss Belt will be proven beyond a reasonable doubt to a jury of 12, where we will seek a unanimous verdict. When we obtain, as we do expect, that unanimous verdict, Miss Belt will be looking at life imprisonment as a maximum sentence.
Now, these charges deal with a situation back on May 4th of this year, of 2025, that at approximately 12:45 a.m., Miss Belt allegedly struck Brun Levy while she was driving, intoxicated and speeding, as Mr. Levy was crossing Sepulva Boulevard at Rhonda Drive in Manhattan Beach. He was transported to a hospital where he was later pronounced dead.
What you will hear is that this, these charges, these very, very serious charges are a message to not just to Miss, uh, Miss Belt, who is going to experience these charges in a court of law, but to everybody out there who is thinking during this holiday season or at any point in time of getting behind the wheel drunk and intoxicated or engaging in excessive speeds, that if you go ahead and engage in this incredibly dangerous conduct and you are driving a car, a multi-thousand pound potential instrument of death, that if you go ahead and actually kill or injure someone, you could be looking at murder charges, that then you would be facing life imprisonment.
We want to send this message because at this time in California, we have found that while California initially led the nation back in the 1980s, working with Mothers Against Drunk Driving to pass some of the toughest DUI laws. Since the 1980s, and particularly this last decade, California has fallen behind in actually going after drunk and drug driving. So much so that over 50%, while the numbers were showing a a decline up until 2010, over the last decade, they have risen dramatically, over 50%. I would reference you to a Cal Matters investigation that showed up in a number of their articles that describe what's going on here in California, and it is deadly serious. Absolutely deadly serious. We have found that not only that, we are actually behind the nation when it comes to DUI laws. In fact, we have some of the weakest DUI laws. And I'm looking forward to the support of State Senator Barb Archeletta, who's been a a true supporter of trying to increase the toughness of those laws to send the message to potential drunk and drug drivers, not to get behind the wheel.
Because that is our dual message as a prosecution organization, that is the DA's office. On the one hand, we have to deal with the cases like Miss Belt, who's gone ahead and made that incredibly poor and reckless and, in this case, lethal decision to get behind a wheel while drunk and then kill someone. So, we're dealing with the prosecution of people who engage in this crime, but we're also here to prevent crimes. And I mean that deadly seriously. We are here to prevent crimes and send crystal-clear messages to would-be drunk and drug drivers, to people who want to engage in excessive speed on our roads, that we will come after you. The laws are are the laws might not be where we want, but we are going to work with State Senator Archeletta. We're going to work with Los Angeles City Council Member Tracy Park and everyone in the state legislature to get our laws where they should be.
Let me give you some examples. Right now in California, drunk vehicular manslaughter is not a violent felony. But if you have a DUI that results in someone getting great bodily injury, that is a violent felony. Let me translate that for you. If you go ahead and you have a DUI, you're drunk behind the wheel and you break, and you, you run into someone, you break their legs, that's considered a violent felony, and you will serve roughly two-thirds of your time in prison. But if you're actually drunk and you kill the person, under our state laws, that is not a violent felony, and often you'll serve a third or half of your time in prison. We absolutely need to change that.
Again, we have some of the weakest laws when it comes to getting your license back. You can get three DUIs in California. Three DUIs in California. And unless you injure or kill someone on that third DUI, you're going to go ahead and lose your license for three years. Three years. That's it. And very often, the DUI, you can keep driving even with a suspended license and very little will happen to you. Let me give you a point of comparison. In New Jersey, if you have your third DUI, you lose your license for eight years. In Nebraska, you lose it for 15 years. And in Connecticut, you permanently lose your license. California, in its laws dealing with drunk and drug driving, are some of the weakest in the nation. And while we'll prosecute again in the DA's office the laws that the state legislature has given us to prosecute, we strongly encourage the state legislature to go ahead and follow the example of State Senator Barbara Chetta and get that work done. It literally is people's lives on the line.
And not only the state legislature will hopefully bring some much tougher laws to send the message to drunk and drug drivers, don't get behind the wheel, but we need the DMV to do its job as well. Because we need the DMV to go ahead and install ignition, uh, interlock devices on people who suffer at least a second DUI. What am I talking about? These are the devices that you have to blow into. And if you have a blood alcohol level above 0.08, it won't allow you to start your car. In 2023, 30, over 30,000 times of people who were ordered to go ahead and have these inter, these ignition interlock devices in their car. Over 30,000 times that car did not start, probably saving innumerable lives. But what we've had is that we have a situation again in the state legislature, and hopefully Senator Archeletta will be dealing with this as well, where bills have been tried to be passed that if you even suffer one DUI, that the court can then order this ignition interlock device. Those bills have failed. That is that is unacceptable. As both an individual living in this community, a parent, and the DA. That is absolutely unacceptable. And I hope that people in the state legislature are paying attention. I hope the governor is paying attention to this particular press conference because this is a, this is a fight for people's lives.
We've had over 40,000 people killed in the last decade on the roads as a result of alcohol, excessive alcohol, and drivers who were drunk who killed them. 40,000 lives. I don't know how many could have been spared, but often those lives have been killed by repeat drunk drivers, by repeat people who have engaged in excessive speed. So again, I strongly encourage the state legislature and the governor to actually put people's lives first and foremost and instruct both themselves and the DMV to do their job.
And there's one more, one more entity in this process that I have to call out because we got the state legislature that passes the laws and the governor who signs it. DA's office will enforce it. DMV has to do their job when it comes to these inter, ignition interlock devices and taking people's licenses away. There's one more entity out there that I'm sending a message to. It's judges. Because it turns out that even though the laws are not where I would like them on these ignition interlock devices, when you have a second DUI or more, judges can actually order that defendants have this ignition interlock device on their car. And guess what? As the Cal Matters report showed, less than 10% of judges in LA County are actually ordering the ignition interlock device on the, on the second or more DUI defendants' cars. That is absolutely unacceptable. Follow the law. The judges need to follow the laws that are in place. And when Senator Archeletta passes that additional law that says that the inter, the ignition interlock device has to be on a first-time DUI, then the judges need to follow that law. Then we can actually see hopefully a return back to 2010 numbers when those numbers were on the decline dealing with alcohol and excessive speed related deaths in California and in Los Angeles County.
So again, the the purpose of this press conference is certainly to highlight the tragic case of what happened to Brun Levy on that night back in May of 2025, but also to use this press conference to send the message to state legislatures, to send the message to the DMV, to judges that we need to take this very, these these issues extremely seriously. And I have one last group that I'm going to point out, and then I'm going to turn it over to State Archel, State Senator Archeletta.
If you furnish alcohol to minors, whether you do it if you're a bar owner, whether you do it if you're a liquor store, whether you do it if you're holding a party that you know minors are there and alcohol is being served to them, we're going to come after you for way, way too long. We have had a situation that has permitted, uh, this, this furnishing of alcohol to minors and and also, by the way, not just to minors. If you go ahead and give someone 10 shots of alcohol and you know they're going to be driving afterwards, as far as I'm concerned, you're not much different than someone who provides drugs to someone. And these drugs can be lethal, and you know they're going to get, be they'll get behind a car and they might kill someone. So, I want to send a very strong warning out to people who are furnishing alcohol to minors, and not just again, minors, people who they know will get behind the, the wheel of a car, that we are absolutely going to be looking at these cases and in the appropriate case, we will go after the people sponsoring the parties, the people in liquor stores or in bars, who are either furnishing this alcohol to minors or furnishing the alcohol in a way that they know they are going to lead to drunk or drug driving.
So, it's a, it's a large effort, and I appreciate everyone coming today to hear that we are now going to take this, this battle into the streets against these people up to Sacramento and and reverse the increase of alcohol and excessive drive deaths in this county. Let me now introduce State Senator Barb Archeletta.
Ladies and gentlemen, my name is Senator Bob Archeletta, and I'm honored to be here with such distinguished members of this great state of California and the county of Los Angeles, the city of Los Angeles, but also importantly is our law enforcement. I served with the Montabella Police Department. So, as a brother who served, uh, we've seen tragedy. We hear about it all the time. And today, we want to bring, as the DA has said, DA has said, that bring recognition to what has happened to the Ly family, to so many others. And let me just start out by saying that I too lost my granddaughter. Long about this time last year, as people are putting up the Christmas trees, wrapping toys, getting ready for the holiday, we got a message that my granddaughter was killed on the highway. It took her fingerprints to identify her. Imagine how my daughter felt, my family felt. But I also want to point something else out that I want to remind all of us. I got a staff member, Fred Zman, right over here. A staff member, great guy. He lost five family members. Five in one car, five months ago. How? Because somebody was drinking and driving. And it didn't happen in California. It happened in Arizona. But they went to see family, the holidays. Five members, one car. Imagine.
And today, we're talking about this young man who had a fantastic future. Bronn, we're fighting for you. Samantha, we're fighting for you. And the DA, thank you for what you've brought to the table because it sends a message that California has got to wake up. California, my colleagues in the state senate, my colleagues in the assembly, please work with us because we've got to do some things that are going to shake the trees a little bit, and people are not going to be happy with us. But I tell you what, families will be, the DA will be, law enforcement will be, our first responders will be, and God almighty, families that are suffering right now. We're about to approach New Year's Day here pretty soon. How many lives will be taken on New Year's Eve? How many young people will be given alcohol on New Year's Eve and expect to go out and have a good time, see the Rose Bowl, but they're never going to make it because someone is going to be on that highway or freeway and take their lives.
But I will tell you this, that my granddaughter Samantha Alex Robas Han, her life was tragically taken, 30 years of age, just got her masters, ready to start her career. And Samantha will no longer be with us. And my family got together just recently to to acknowledge the one-year anniversary because it was a few days ago that we celebrated, acknowledged the anniversary. And, uh, but these things have got to stop. And I know that the DA had mentioned statistics, what we have to do in Sacramento, no doubt. But I want to touch your heart and touch your family because it is every one of you are here. It's possible it could happen to you, too. However, I'm confident that the District Attorney here in Los Angeles County, along with the District Attorney in Orange County and across the state of California, each and every one of them, they're stepping up. We ask the judges to step up. We're asking law enforcement to step up, but we're asking families to step up. Don't allow your children to drink and drive. These teenagers that grab that bottle and they think life is there forever. It's not. What's important right now is the Libby family. Bronn, with his tremendous future taken. And I want to say to Jennifer, his mother, that we met in my office, and we both hugged, we cried, and I will tell you that until you've been in our shoes, you'd have no idea what it feels like. But please don't allow it to happen.
And of course, we have to acknowledge, uh, MADD. We have to acknowledge assembly members that, uh, are going to work with me, Assembly Member Mayor Tucci. We're also going to acknowledge hopefully our new leadership in Sacramento with our new prom, that she'll also help me carry the the banner to go ahead and make these things come true. Changing our lives by changing our laws. Changing our laws to save lives. And we're going to work together to try and do it. So, Bronn and Samantha, we're with you. We're fighting for you. And I'd like to thank all of you for being here today. And thank the good Lord for giving us this holiday. And may it be peaceful, joyful, but please remember, but we have to do it together. And these men and women whose service in law enforcement is a tough job. We're going to be celebrating New Year's, they're going to be out on the road. To our members in the highway patrol, God bless you for what you're about to face. Save lives. We can do it together. Let's make that our promise to everyone in California. Let's save lives. Thank you once again. I'm Senator Bob Archeletta. Thank you.
Thank you, Senator Archeletta, uh, for your words, not just on behalf of yourself, but on behalf of your granddaughter, on behalf of Bronn Levy, on behalf of every victim that has ever suffered from drunk or drug driving. Uh, and behalf of the state of California, uh, we wish you great, not only do we wish you great success, we will do everything in our power to make sure you succeed. Now, I'd like to introduce Los Angeles Council Member Tracy Park.
Good morning, everyone. Thank you for being here today. Today is about accountability. Today is about justice. And today, above all, is about honoring Bronn and Samantha and the grief that so many families here in Los Angeles and beyond carry. Bronn should be alive today. He was killed just as he was preparing to leave for college. Instead of celebrating that incredible milestone, his parents, Dan and Jebby, Dan and Jen Levy, and Bronn's sister Adele were left planning memorials and navigating unfathomable loss. Bronn should be home right now from his first semester at UVA, spending the holidays with his family. There, first as a family still displaced by the Palisades fire. He should be planning his future, not being remembered for the way his life was taken from him. Taken by a driver with a prior DUI and a suspended license, a driver who never should have been behind the wheel.
When someone with a known history of impaired driving takes a life, accountability can't be optional, especially when the loss is so devastating and the warning signs were already there. Too often, the justice system waits until tragedy strikes to take dangerous behavior seriously. And all too often, grieving families are left asking why it took the death of a child or a grandchild to ask why the consequences have to be enforced. Not anymore.
I want to thank District Attorney Nathan Hawkman and his team for bringing the charges in this case and treating this tragedy with the seriousness that it demands. I want to thank him and his team and our law enforcement partners for sending a clear message that DUI crimes will be prosecuted fully and aggressively. I also want to thank Senator Archeletta for his leadership at the state level and the work that he is doing to drive the needed policy reforms. And I want to thank Jen and the Levy family. Their strength humbles us. Their fight for justice honors Bronn's two short life. Please know that all of CD11 and I stand behind your efforts to push these DUI policy reforms. So no other family will have to carry the grief that they do. We will carry Bronn's legacy. We will carry Samantha's legacy, and we will not forget. Thank you.
Thank you very much, Council Member Park, uh, for very, very compelling words, uh, about why we're here, uh, and and the legacy of Bronn Levy, uh, and its impact going forward to hopefully prevent further tragedies like the one experienced by the Levy family. I'd like now to now call up Jennifer Levy.
My name is Jennifer Levy, and I'm here sharing the statement today because the life of our beautiful 18-year-old son, Bronn Levy, was brutally and senselessly ended in a preventable tragedy. He was taken from us. The pain we feel is indescribable. Our family has been shattered, ripped apart, and left to pick up the pieces and keep on living without Bronn, who we all loved with every cell in our body. We are no longer the people we once were. We are profoundly changed by the depth of our grief.
I'd like to thank Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hawkman, Los Angeles District Deputy Attorney Britney Venoy, the Manhattan Beach Police Department, the Los Angeles Police Department. They have been intentional. They have been meticulous and relentless in helping our family pursue justice. But will justice ever truly be served? California's current DUI laws are broken and weak and fail to protect families like ours, and it's devastating. There have been previous bills and laws, but they have been gutted and amended, and it's inexcusable. I will not stand for that status quo. We can stop these tragedies. We have the solutions. My plea is to Governor Gavin Newsom and California lawmakers. This is not a political issue. This is a human issue. And I guarantee if any of you had to identify the body of your child or loved one in the manner that my husband and I did a few months ago, you would not be silent. The feeling, the sight, the smell of identifying our son's body will never leave my mind, body, or soul. So, I will not be silent. That's why I'm committed to advancing a new bill to restructure California DUI sentencing and punishment. Implement real effective deterrence against driving under the influence and impaired. Make consequential punishments and mandatory reading of the Watson warning, even if a plea deal is given. Elected officials and Governor Newsom, when this reaches your desk, I implore you to act. You are elected officials because we voted for you, and we count on you for change and for safety. Please, California, save future victims and families from my preventable pain. Nothing will ever bring back Bronn. We love him so deeply, and his death haunts my every breath, my every day. Thank you for this opportunity.
Thank you, Jennifer, for your words, uh, and your, I, I don't even know the word for it, it's almost resilience for taking something that could be an otherwise crippling tragedy and trying to make something of it. Trying to make sure that no other family has to go through the tragedy that your family has gone through. I think you've heard today from both our State Senator and our Council Member, and from Miss Levy herself, that this issue could not be more pressing. What other issue do we have where we actually have preventable deaths that we absolutely know will occur if we just keep doing the status quo and keep going the way we are? Thousands of people will lose their lives across the state of California and in Los Angeles County if we don't do anything.
At the DA's office, we are going to aggressively investigate and prosecute alcohol and drug-related, uh, tragedies, uh, as well as the people who are access, who are the accessories and the co-conspirators, shall we say, to these tragedies. I hope the state legislature, the governor, the DMV, and judges are listening.