PREVIOUSLY IN COURT:

• KITCHEN HEARING DAY ONE: Kitchen Told Friend She ‘Hit the Girls,’ Initially Thought She’d Hit a Deer, CHP Officer Testifies; Collision Scene Described
• KITCHEN HEARING, DAY TWO: Marci Kitchen’s Son Testifies That His Mother Killed His Sister and Her Friend While Drunk, Then Tried to Cover Up the Crime
• KITCHEN HEARING, DAY THREE: Suspect’s Son Cross-Examined By Defense Attorneys, But Judge Holds Kitchen to Answer On All Charges

The case against vehicular manslaughter suspect Marcia “Marci” Kitchen is gradually moving toward jury trial.

Kitchen

Today Kitchen, held to answer on all charges after a preliminary hearing earlier this month, was arraigned on those charges along with additional counts filed by the District Attorney’s Office after the hearing concluded.

No trial date was chosen, but Judge Marilyn Miles scheduled June 13 for trial setting.
Kitchen, 39, was in court this morning with her attorneys Patrik Griego and Ben Okin.  She was arraigned on the original charges: two counts of vehicular manslaughter with special allegations of fleeing the scene and harming multiple victims, and drunken driving causing injury or death.

A felony charge of hit-and-run has been added, as well as special allegations that Kitchen inflicted injuries that resulted in the victim being comatose.

On the night of July 12 Kitchen allegedly was driving drunk on Eel River Drive when her Jeep Wrangler struck two 14-year-old girls skateboarding on the road. One was her daughter, Kiya Kitchen, and the other Kiya’s friend Faith Tsarnas, who was visiting from out of town.

According to preliminary hearing testimony, Kitchen pulled over briefly and stopped, but then left and drove to her home about two miles away. There she reportedly asked her teen-age son to deliberately run the Jeep into a basketball hoop, apparently in an attempt to explain the damage. The boy refused.

Kitchen was arrested after a two-month investigation. She posted $750,000 bail and remains out of custody.

PREVIOUSLY:

• Fortuna Fatal Hit-and-Run: CHP Seeks Public’s Help in Tracking Down Marcia Kitchen and Josh Pearlston
• Marci Kitchen, Suspect in Death of Two Girls in Fortuna, Arrested on Vehicular Manslaughter Charges, Released on Bail
• Marci Kitchen Will be Arraigned This Afternoon on Numerous Charges, Including Gross Vehicular Manslaughter, Sheriff’s Office Says
• Marci Kitchen Arraigned for Killing Her Daughter, Another Teen in Hit-and-Run
• Marcia ‘Marci’ Kitchen Hearing Postponed Until March
• Facing Charges of Killing Her Own Daughter and Another Teen in Hit-and-Run, Marcia Kitchen Files Claims For Damages Due to Road Conditions
• Kitchen Trial Delayed Again; Preliminary Hearing on Manslaughter Charges Against Fortuna Mom Now Scheduled For May, Expected to Last Five Days
• Marci Kitchen Has 48 Hours to Hand Over Her Passport
• Marci Kitchen Surrenders Passport, Receives Court Permission to Travel to Oregon for Boyfriend’s Grandmother’s Birthday Party
• KITCHEN CASE: After Much Delay, Five-Day Pretrial Hearing of Accused Drunk-Driving Killer of Two Teenage Girls Will Start May 8