Huntington Beach man sentenced for murder after fatal 2021 motorcycle crash

A Huntington Beach man has been sentenced to 15 years to life in prison following a 2021 motorcycle crash that killed his passenger.

John Marshall Murray III, 25, was convicted Dec. 19 after a three-week trial, Huntington Beach Police Department officials announced. The judge sentenced him to 15 years to life in state prison.

Murray was driving the motorcycle involved in a collision with a sport utility vehicle on Pacific Coast Highway south of Warner Avenue on the evening of Sept. 11, 2021, Huntington Beach public affairs manager Jennifer Carey said.

Upon arrival, officers found the motorcycle passenger, 22-year-old Meghan Wautlet, deceased at the scene. Murray, then 21, was found in the roadway with significant injuries and taken to a local hospital.

“The HBPD Major Accident Investigation Team (MAIT) responded and conducted an exhaustive investigation into the circumstances, which concluded that Murray was at fault for the collision and had been performing dangerous stunts, riding recklessly and excessively speeding just prior to the impact,” Carey said in a news release.

A further investigation showed that Murray had been arrested or cited at least five times for various traffic violations, including speeding and reckless driving, in the seven months leading up to the crash. He was also involved in three at-fault motorcycle accidents during the same time period.

Due to those circumstances, members of the HBPD Traffic Bureau arrested Murray for murder in February 2022. The Orange County district attorney’s office subsequently filed the case, and Murray has remained in custody since then.

“Reckless driving is a serious issue,” Huntington Beach Police Chief Eric Parra said in the release. “Roadway deaths are fully preventable and we enforce violations of the law related to these senseless deaths to the fullest extent allowable. This case is not typical and required extensive analysis and in-depth follow-up by our investigators to ensure the appropriate charges were filed. We are pleased with the outcome and hope it brings some form of closure to the family of the victim.”