Vigil for Former Marine Killed in Motorcycle Crash Is Wednesday Night

Family and friends will gather for a vigil Wednesday night at the Chatsworth intersection where 27-year-old Jesse Wilkes lost his life in a motorcycle accident, CBS2 reports.

The former marine who did two tours in Afghanistan was heading eastbound on Devonshire Street Saturday when Michelle Prentiss, the driver of a 2009 Honda Civic, allegedly made a left-hand turn onto Winnetka Avenue and cut right in front him, said Officer Jennifer Ward. 

Wilkes collided with the front right door of the car, injuring the passenger, and died shortly after impact, Ward said.

Prentiss remained at the scene and was found not to be driving under the influence. The case will be presented to the district attorney's office to determine if charges should be filed, she said.

A graduate of El Camino High School and Cal State Northridge, Wilkes was also a member of Silent Natives, a motorcycle club mostly made up of veterans.

Despite coping with grief, Wilkes' family is already trying to lobby lawmakers to get more left-turn arrows installed at intersections.

"It didn’t need to happen. And I don’t want to see it happen to anyone else,” Kimber Lee, Wilkes' mother, told CBS2. “That’s why we’re working so hard to make some changes.”

A vigil for Wilkes will take place at Devonshire and Winnetka at 9 p.m. Wednesday.