New theory involving large nitrous oxide canister delays Fraser Bohm trial in death of four Pepperdine students

The trial of a privileged Malibu millionaire’s son accused of killing four Pepperdine students while speeding his BMW down an iconic California roadway has been delayed over a 12-pound nitrous oxide tank allegedly found in the car.

Fraser Bohm, 24, was in court with his high profile attorney, Alan Jackson, Wednesday as the latter argued to push back the start of Bohm’s trial in order to conduct an analysis on the nitrous tank found after the crash.

The long-awaited trial was scheduled to start next week.

Dressed in a gray suit, blue tie, and sporting disheveled hair, Bohm listened as Judge Thomas Rubinson laid out the prosecution’s new theory that the 10–12 pound tank was on Bohm’s lap at the time of the crash, distracting him.

“The canister was a canister of nitrous oxide. A 10 or 12 pound tank with pressurized gas in it is distracting,” Rubinson said.

Nitrous oxide is often used as a drug that creates a seconds-long paralyzing high, making it difficult to function. The prosecution do not intend to prove Bohm was inhaling from the tank. 

Jackson said that his team needed more time to tackle the new nitrous theory explaining it would take at least 3–4 weeks for the initial inspection of the canister, its chain of custody and to analyze the swabbing of the tank which had blood on it when recovered.

Jackson then asked for a January 2027 trial date citing back to back upcoming trials starting in October, to which the judge stated: “Why do those trials go ahead of this one?” 

“Something catastrophic will happen,” Jackson answered and then asked for a private meeting with Rubinson in chambers. When the parties emerged, a trial start date of Dec. 1 was announced.

Bohm faces murder and vehicular manslaughter charges for mowing down Niamh Rolston, 20; Peyton Stewart, 21; Asha Weir, 21; and Deslyn Williams, 21, while doing over 100 mph in Malibu on Oct. 17, 2023. 

Prosecutors said the Malibu resident was allegedly doing 104 mph on a notoriously dangerous 45-mph stretch of the Pacific Coast Highway when he lost control of his luxury car and slammed into three parked cars, which then struck the four Alpha Phi sorority sisters walking nearby.

The victims, seniors at the private Christian university, all died at the scene.

Jackson was asked by The Post why there was a tank of nitrous in Bohm’s car after Wednesday’s hearing. The famed lawyer, who once prosecuted music mogul Phil Spector, wouldn’t comment.

Bohm’s legal team recently moved to dismiss the murder charges, arguing he lost control of the car and therefore shouldn’t be held criminally liable for murder. 

Bohm has been free on 4 million dollars bail since the accident occurred, nearly three years ago.

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