Windsor man faces manslaughter trial in connection with highway deaths

A Sonoma County judge ruled on Friday that there is enough evidence to try Ryan Karr on felony manslaughter charges in connection with the fiery Highway 101 crash that killed five people in 2007.

Karr?s attorney, Andy Martinez, had asked the judge to dismiss the felony vehicular manslaughter charges, claiming there was not enough evidence in testimony to prove that Karr?s driving was impaired at the time of the crash.

Judge Ken Gnoss said the testimonies of law enforcement personnel, emergency medical responders and toxicology experts all provided enough evidence to proceed with the most serious charges against Karr.

Judge Lawrence Antolini ruled after a preliminary hearing last summer that there was a strong suspicion Karr, 28, of Windsor was intoxicated Jan. 19, 2007, when his car rammed into the back of a Honda that had stopped during rush-hour traffic on northbound Highway 101.

Five members of a family died in the ensuing fire. The only survivor, a child named Christian Flores, was severely burned and has since lost an arm, a leg and an ear to burn-related trauma, according to court records.

The case, with several felony and misdemeanor charges, will now proceed to trial.