Image via WikipediaTORRANCE – A Los Angeles man already charged with killing one person last month in an alleged alcohol-related car crash in Gardena was arraigned today on an amended complaint charging him with a second murder.Deputy District Attorney Sarah Fuhrman said the second murder count was added after a 6-year-old boy who was riding in a vehicle allegedly struck by the defendant’s car died after being hospitalized for injuries suffered in the crash. She said she also added a count of driving under the influence with a prior conviction.
Perry Lee Oakley Jr., 33, of Los Angeles, was arraigned on the amended complaint (YA 080803) before Torrance Superior Court Judge Thomas R. Sokolov, who set May 16 for the scheduling of a preliminary hearing. The defendant remains in custody on more than $1.4 million bail.
The crash occurred April 9 at Normandie Avenue and 141st Street in Gardena. A car allegedly driven by Oakley struck a vehicle containing four people. A passenger, 62-year-old Samuel Lee Dickens of Compton, died and the others, including 6-year-old Sylvester Payne Jr., were hospitalized. The little boy later died.
Besides two counts of murder and the DUI with a prior charge, the defendant faces additional charges of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, DUI causing injury and leaving the scene of an accident that resulted in death. The complaint alleged prior convictions of DUI and arson.
If convicted, Oakley faces life in prison with the possibility of parole. He was arrested by Gardena police shortly after the crash and remains in custody.
