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A judge ruled Wednesday that there is enough evidence for a Long Beach woman to stand trial on a felony charge of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated for a crash that killed a Cal State Long Beach custodian as he drove to work.
In front of roughly two dozen of the victim’s friends and family wearing purple rose pins, Long Beach Superior Court Judge Debra A. Cole ruled that 31-year-old Julie Haq would be held to answer for her alleged crime based on evidence presented at Wednesday’s preliminary hearing.
Haq is accused of driving under the influence of alcohol when she crashed into a car driven by Cal State Long Beach custodian Rodger Watkins, 60, just before midnight on Feb. 20, 2024, at the intersection of Atlantic Avenue and Anaheim Street.
At the preliminary hearing, Long Beach Police Det. Shawn Laughlin testified that Haq was traveling about 89 miles per hour at the time of the crash amid wet road conditions.
The speed limit on Atlantic Avenue is 30 miles per hour.
Laughlin also testified that Haq’s Lexus traveled through a red light, while Watkins’ Ford was heading eastbound through a green light. Laughlin was able to determine the speed of the defendant’s vehicle based on security camera video and data from the event data recorder in her Lexus, he said.
The impact caused Watkins’ car to careen into a traffic light. It ended up wedged in an abandoned building at the northeast corner of the intersection, Laughlin said. Watkins was pronounced dead at the scene.
Watkins and his wife, Maria, celebrated their 25th anniversary in 2023.
“My honey was a great husband, dad and grandpa to our family,” Maria Watkins said. “He didn’t deserve to suffer in this way. Justice needs to be served.”
Rodger Watkins died two weeks shy of his 61 birthday, but about 150 people, including his coworkers at Cal State Long Beach, gathered to celebrate his “heavenly birthday,” said Mariela Salgado, one of his five children.
Long Beach Police Officer David Kasowski, who interviewed Haq in the hospital following the crash, testified that the defendant informed him she “drank a bottle and a half of wine” at a friend’s house prior to the crash.
Haq allegedly refused to submit to a blood draw to test her level of intoxication. Her blood sample was taken about four hours later after Kasowski obtained a search warrant.
The defendant’s blood-alcohol level from that night was not disclosed at the preliminary hearing.
Salgado said her father’s family and friends decided to wear purple rose pins in court as a “subtle but beautiful” way to honor him.
Purple was Watkins’ favorite color because “he said it was the color of kings,” Salgado said.
Fourth District City Councilmember Daryl Supernaw and 6th District City Councilmember Suely Saro sent letters to the court ahead of the preliminary hearing urging the judge to hold the defendant accountable for the crash.
The crime is typically punishable by 4, 6, or 10 years in state prison, but Salgado said her family is worried Haq may have a chance at a lesser penalty through a plea agreement.
“We want to make sure she gets held accountable, not just for us but I mean as a community we want people to feel safe when they’re driving. If she gets away, what does that mean?” Salgado said.
Haq is free on her own recognizance, and is due back in court on Oct. 15. She has pleaded not guilty.