Trial date set for VCU student accused of manslaughter
The manslaughter trial for the VCU student accused of drunken driving and killing a fellow student in February is scheduled for July 18.
Photo by Amber-Lynn Taber
Mark Robinson
Assistant News Editor
The manslaughter trial for the VCU student accused of drunken driving and killing a fellow student in February is scheduled for July 18.
Varinder “Vick” Chahal, a senior accounting major at VCU, and half a dozen members of his extended family looked on as the judge set the date.
Chahal is the accused driver in the drunken-driving crash that killed VCU sophomore Carolina Perez and injured two other VCU students. He is charged with aggravated involuntary manslaughter and faces up to 20 years in prison.
Chahal’s lawyer, Ed Riley, requested a trial by judge on Chahal’s behalf, because “the coventional wisdom in Virginia is that jury means sentence,” he said after the hearing.
“Either way, there’s still an inherent loss of life you’ve got to contend with,” he added.
The judge granted Chahal special travel privileges in June and July to attend family weddings in Maryland with the condition that he does not consume alcohol. His driving privilege is still revoked.
Chahal declined comment after the hearing.
