Man blamed for rail disaster charged with murder

A suicidal man said to have parked his Jeep in the path of a commuter train, causing a horrific crash that killed 11 people, is expected to appear in court today charged with murder.

The criminal case moved forward against Juan Alvarez yesterday as police and forensics experts worked to gather evidence from the crime scene in Glendale, California, and coroner’s investigators searched the tangled wreckage for any remaining body parts.

Prosecutors have not decided if they will seek the death penalty against Alvarez, 25, who had been ordered by a court to stay away from his family after his wife claimed he took drugs and threatened them.

Authorities say he had also slashed his wrists and stabbed himself at some point during his aborted suicide attempt.

He remained in hospital yesterday.

District Attorney Steve Cooley said prosecutors were evaluating Alvarez’s mental state in deciding a possible punishment, but said the man’s mental issues were no defence.

“His despondency doesn’t move me,” Cooley said. “The mere fact that he was a little upset or despondent doesn’t mean he has a defence for anything.”

Authorities say Alvarez drove his green Jeep Cherokee into the path of a Metrolink commuter train early on Wednesday. He changed his mind and got out of the vehicle just before the Jeep was struck by a train heading for Los Angeles, police said.

That train derailed, ploughed into a parked freight train and struck another train heading in the opposite direction. The second train also derailed.

Authorities claim Alvarez stood by as the gruesome chain-reaction wreck scattered debris and bodies over a quarter-mile of track. It was America’s worst train crash in nearly six years.

Alvarez was charged with 10 counts of murder, but another count was to be added following the discovery of an 11th body in the mangled trains.

Everyone from the crash was accounted for yesterday. More than 180 people were injured, including seven who are in a critical condition.

Court documents show Alvarez’s estranged wife, Carmelita Alvarez, obtained a restraining order against him in December, requiring him to keep away from her, their three-year-old son and other family members.