A 33-year-old woman has been charged with murder, gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, and driving on a suspended license after allegedly crashing into two pedestrians in Manhattan Beach last year.
According to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office, Jenia Resha Belt was behind the wheel of her vehicle when she struck Braun Levi, an 18-year-old tennis star from Loyola High School, and his friend as they walked along Sepulveda Boulevard on May 2025. Both victims died in the incident.
This is not Belt's first DUI-related charge; prosecutors filed drunk driving and hit-and-run charges against her in 2023, and she was subsequently suspended by the California Department of Motor Vehicles in January 2024 for driving with a revoked license.
The case has sparked calls for stronger DUI laws, particularly for repeat offenders. Jennifer Levi, Braun's mother, is advocating for change after losing her son to a drunk driver last year. She claims that California's current laws are "embarrassing and unsafe" and is pushing for harsher penalties.
A bill aimed at imposing stricter penalties on repeat DUI offenders is expected to be taken up by the state legislature this week. The Senate has already unanimously passed the measure, but Assemblyman Nick Schultz, who chairs the public safety committee, is reportedly making amendments that have not yet been disclosed.