Woman charged with murder in fatal crash appears in court

Alexia Cina to return to court to get date for a preliminary hearing on April 18

A Canyon Country woman charged with murder for allegedly killing a Saugus mother of six in a DUI crash in October appeared briefly in court Tuesday to set a date for a preliminary hearing.

Alexia Alilah Cina, 21, appeared in San Fernando Superior Court late January to set a date, but instead was told to come back to court March 6 and set a date at that time for a preliminary hearing.

On Tuesday, she returned to court as ordered and was told, again, to come back in a couple of weeks to set a date for a preliminary hearing.

Cina is now scheduled to appear in court April 18. Deputy District Attorney Courtney Armendariz is the prosecutor in the case.

During a preliminary hearing, prosecutors present evidence in the case, and the defense can respond, after which the judge will decide if the case should go to trial.

“The defendant pleaded not guilty to four felony counts during her arraignment in October,” Eakins said.

Cina faces one felony count each of murder, gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, driving under the influence of an alcoholic beverage causing injury and driving with a .08 percent blood alcohol content causing injury.

Prosecutors alleged Cina inflicted great bodily injury upon the woman killed in the crash, Katie Snyder Evans.

On Oct. 6, Cina was allegedly driving southbound on Golden Valley Road at a high rate of speed when she hit the center median and crashed into Evans’ vehicle on the northbound side of the road, prosecutors said.

If convicted as charged, Cina faces a possible maximum sentence of 18 years to life in state prison