Woman Charged With Helping Driver Flee Santa Monica Crash That Killed 2, Including CEO

LOS ANGELES, CA — A woman pleaded not guilty Friday to a felony charge that she helped an alleged hit-and-run driver avoid arrest after a crash that killed two pedestrians and seriously injured two other people in Santa Monica last month.

Marshonda Lajune Whitaker, 42, is charged with one count of accessory after the fact, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.

The criminal complaint alleges that Whitaker aided the alleged driver, Alex Kristopher Kirksey, 38, in avoiding arrest, according to the District Attorney's Office.

Kirksey -- who pleaded not guilty Thursday -- is charged with two felony counts each of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence and hit and run driving resulting in death or serious injury to another person, along with one felony count of reckless driving on a highway causing a specified injury in connection with the Oct. 24 crash.

The complaint also alleges that Kirksey personally inflicted great bodily injury using a motor vehicle and that he has a 2012 conviction for criminal threats in Santa Clara County.

The crash killed Maura Cohen and Brad Lipshy, who was the CEO of a Santa Monica event planning firm.

Cohen and Lipshy, both 61, were pronounced dead at the scene from blunt traumatic injuries, according to records from the county medical examiner's office.

Kirksey was allegedly driving the wrong way on Wilshire Boulevard near Euclid Avenue when he went through a red light before striking a curb and hitting and killing Cohen and Lipshy, who were exiting a sushi restaurant in the 1300 block of Wilshire Boulevard, according to the District Attorney's Office.

The vehicle then continued traveling down the sidewalk and struck two other pedestrians who were seriously injured, authorities said.

The driver abandoned the vehicle and fled on foot prior to officers' arrival.

According to Santa Monica police, investigators tracked Kirksey to Chicago, where he was arrested with the assistance of the Chicago Police Department at or near a transit center "as he appeared to be attempting to flee further."

Kirksey was later returned to Southern California. He was arrested Wednesday by Santa Monica police and remains behind bars in lieu of $1 million bail, jail records show.

Police said the car that Kirksey was driving had been rented through an online platform and alleged that he took deliberate steps to avoid detection after the crash, including leaving California.

Police said the person who rented the vehicle -- whose identity they did not release -- "traveled to the scene after the collision, sought information about what occurred, and later assisted the suspect in leaving the state." The District Attorney's Office could not be reached for immediate comment on whether Whitaker was that person.

Whitaker was arrested Thursday in Santa Monica, with her bail set at $25,000, according to the District Attorney's Office. She remained behind bars late Friday afternoon, according to jail records.

"Criminals and those who help them try to escape and evade the law will be held fully accountable for their illicit actions," District Attorney Nathan Hochman said in a statement about the case. "I extend my deepest sympathy to the families of Maura Cohen and Brad Lipshy, beloved members of the Santa Monica community, whose lives were tragically lost, and to the two victims who were critically injured simply walking on the sidewalk."

The county's top prosecutor commended Santa Monica police for "their tremendous cross-country investigation, leading to the arrests in this case" and pledged to "do everything in our power to seek justice for the victims."

Kirksey and Whitaker are due back in a Los Angeles courtroom Dec. 3. A date is scheduled to be set then for a hearing to determine if there is sufficient evidence to allow the case against them to proceed to trial.

If convicted as charged, Kirksey faces up to 26 years in state prison, while Whitaker could face up to three years behind bars, according to the District Attorney's Office.

Copyright 2025, City News Service, Inc.