Trial date still pending for Rocklin man charged with I-80 deaths in 2018
Sean M. Walker, 38, ordered to return Nov. 30 for trial setting in Department 7 in Vallejo
A Solano County Superior Court judge once again has rescheduled the trialsetting date for a 38-yearold Rocklin man charged in the summer 2018 Interstate 80 deaths of a California Highway Patrol officer and a Philippines national.
Sean Matthew Walker was scheduled to appear Monday in Department 7 in Vallejo for a readiness conference and trial setting, but Judge Tim Kam delayed the setting until 8:30 a.m. Nov. 30 in the Justice Building.
It was unclear why Kam rescheduled the proceeding, but, for the past six months, many Solano County court matters have been delayed, in part, because of the ongoing pandemic and local and state public health advisories.
Walker’s latest pending court date comes after a two-day preliminary hearing in August last year when Kam ruled there was enough evidence to proceed with a jury trial.
Walker is charged with two counts of gross vehicular manslaughter. The Solano County District Attorney alleges that the defendant, driving a large Chevrolet pickup truck, was traveling at a high rate of speed at about 9 a.m. Aug. 10, 2018, when, veering onto the westbound shoulder near the Manuel Campos Parkway exit in Fairfield, he slammed into CHP Officer Kirk Griess, 46, of Vacaville, and Jaime Bueza Manuel, 49, a resident of Vallejo who was employed as a caregiver.
The two victims were taken to NorthBay Medical Center in Fairfield, where Griess and Manuel died. Walker was taken to Kaiser Permanente Vacaville Medical Center and was treated and later released.
Court records show that Walker was arrested on Aug. 16, five days after the vehicle he was driving struck Griess, a motorcycle officer, and Manuel during a traffic-enforcement stop.
Walker eventually posted $90,000 in bail and left Solano
County Jail custody. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
As testimony during the hearing made clear, the eventual trial outcome likely will hinge on the few minutes before and after the fatal collision and whether the defendant was using his cellphone at the time, in addition to questions about Walker’s claim of sudden medical fears while driving, perhaps his family medical history, and the fact that he had a dualvalve heart monitor implanted in his chest after the highway collision.
Kam ruled that Walker showed gross negligence by not stopping earlier along I-80 if the defendant thought he was having a heart attack or stroke.
During his closing argument, Deputy District Attorney Haroon Khan asserted there was enough evidence to hold Walker on the charges, saying the defendant’s driving pattern indicated “gross negligence.”
While driving westward in Vacaville five minutes before the collision, searching his cellphone for information about signs of a stroke, and after the crash, Walker made no attempt to dial 911, Khan said.
In his final remarks, Walker’s defense attorney, Guyton Jinkerson, disputed Khan’s claim that speed was a contributing factor.
“I don’t think speed is the issue here,” countered the San Jose-based lawyer. “Going 75, 65, or 50 — the result would have been the same. The issue is what caused this (the fatal collision) to occur.”
If Walker is found guilty of just one charge, he could face as little as formal probation or a stretch in state prison of two to six years, plus a fine up to $10,000.