Pomona chase ends in tragedy: driver charged with murder
A relentless pursuit culminated in unimaginable loss Wednesday night in Pomona, California, as a driver now faces murder charges after a high-speed chase ended in a fatal collision that claimed the lives of a 25-year-old pregnant woman and her boyfriend. Marshall Campbell Judson, 31, has been formally accused of a series of offenses, marking a stark turn in what began as a domestic violence call.
The escalation: from domestic dispute to reckless flight
The sequence of events began when Pomona Police Department officers responded to reports of a domestic disturbance in the 400 block of E. 10th Street. While officers were engaged with the alleged victim, Judson reportedly returned to the scene in a pickup truck. Police allege he then intentionally struck a parked patrol vehicle, driving “recklessly” – a prelude to the devastation that followed.
What transpired next involved a pursuit spanning several minutes, a desperate flight from law enforcement that ultimately ended near the intersection of Garey Avenue and County Road. Judson’s truck collided with a Ford sedan, instantly and tragically claiming the lives of its two occupants: Jennifer Alejandra Loera-Zarco, 25, and Marc Anthony Trejo Saldivar, 26. Both were pronounced dead at the scene, victims of blunt force trauma.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office has since charged Judson with a litany of crimes, reflecting the gravity of the situation. The charges include two counts of murder, three counts of fleeing a pursuing peace officer causing death, a count of murder of a human fetus – a particularly chilling detail given Ms. Loera-Zarco’s pregnancy – one count of assault upon a peace officer or firefighter, and a count related to carrying a concealed, loaded and unregistered firearm in a vehicle. Bail has been set at $4 million, effectively ensuring Judson’s continued detention.
The couple, artists brimming with anticipation for parenthood, were expecting their child “any day now,” according to family members who gathered at the crash site Thursday to mourn. Tony Trejo, the victim’s father, spoke of the joy they shared, a joy now irrevocably extinguished. The scene was a tableau of grief, a raw depiction of a future stolen, a family shattered.
Beyond the legal proceedings, the tragedy underscores a troubling pattern: the intersection of domestic violence, reckless driving, and devastating consequences. Judson’s actions have not only robbed two young lives but also extinguished the potential of a child who will never be born. The details remain under investigation, but the weight of loss is already palpable within the Pomona community.