Community Mourns Tragic Death of Malibu High Eighth Grader

• Driver Who Killed 13-Year-Old Girl Is Expected to Face Charge of Second-Degree Murder

BY ANNE SOBLE

Malibu High school student Emily Rose Shane was struck by a car and killed while she was walking along the westbound shoulder of Pacific Coast Highway near Heathercliff Road, on Saturday, April 3, at about 5:11 p.m.

Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputies arrested Sina Khankhanian, 26, of Winnetka, on suspicion of murder.

Khankhanian was at the wheel of the 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer that hit the 13-year-old.

A preliminary assessment of skid marks at the location indicates that he may have deliberately crashed his vehicle into a power pole, and the car then flipped onto its side.

LASD Homicide Lt. David Dolson told the Malibu Surfside News that Khankhanian told deputies at the scene that he had been drinking and taking prescription medications that were not his.

However, Dolson said the suspect’s blood alcohol count was zero and detectives are awaiting results of toxicology analysis to determine which drugs, if any, were in his system.

Little is known about Khankhanian, but what appear to be his Facebook references indicate he has been active in the “Where Is My Vote?” campaign protesting the current regime in Iran.

On Tuesday, Dolson said the case was filed that day with the District Attorney’s Office with a recommendation of a charge of second degree murder, which is a more serious offense than vehicular homicide.

Khankhanian is in custody with bail set at $1 million.

According to her family, Emily Shane had been visiting a friend’s home in the immediate vicinity and was headed to the signal-controlled crosswalk to go to the shopping center on the other side of PCH to meet a family member.

Her parents, Ellen and Michel Shane, and her two sisters, Gerri and Leigh, who is a senior at MHS, and numerous extended family members expressed their devastation at what they said is “the loss of a beautiful soul.”

Emily Rose Shane would have turned 14 on Aug. 9. Her family said, “Her motto was: dance, love, sing, live.”

Bright, attractive, cheerful and popular, over 700 people have already signed her memorial pages on Facebook. Her distraught father said, “She saw the good in everyone...and they responded in kind.”

His voice breaking with emotion. Michel Shane said he was “learning so much” about how his daughter affected others from the comments of her friends on these pages. “She did so much in her too short time on this earth.”

 In lieu of flowers, Emily Shane’s family and friends are urging a “pay it forward” campaign in her name. An individual does a good deed for someone, then that person does a good deed for someone else, and so on. There will be more details in next week’s issue of The News.

MHS principal Mark Kelly sent word of Shane’s death to the school community via the high school’s email network. Grief counselors met with students at the shaken Malibu High School campus on Tuesday.

The funeral was scheduled to be held Wednesday, April 7, 2 p.m. at Mount Sinai Memorial Park in Simi Valley, with a memorial service to follow at the Malibu West Swim Club at 4:30 p.m.

Homicide detectives are currently interviewing witnesses to the crash and the driver’s recklessness and speeding as he drove from Topanga to the accident site. At least four 911 calls were said to have been made reporting the driver’s erratic high speed. Anyone with information is asked to contact the LASD Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500.

BROAD BEACH CRASH

Shane’s death occurred 24 hours after a 43-year-old Santa Monica resident, James Stellar, was killed at Broad Beach and Pacific Coast Highway late Friday afternoon. His car was struck by a vehicle that had drifted onto the wrong side of the highway when its driver allegedly dozed off, according to the report by Lost Hills Lt. Scott Chew.

David Corona, a 19-year-old Oxnard resident, told sheriff’s  deputies that he fell asleep at the wheel. His vehicle reportedly drifted across the center lines and was going west in the eastbound lanes when it broadsided Stellar’s car as he attempted a left turn from westbound PCH onto Broad Beach Road.

Corona was hospitalized for injuries following the crash, and investigators have not indicated yet whether charges will be filed.