Dec 28, 2007 7:02 pm US/Pacific
Brandy Cleared Of Criminal Charges In Deadly Crash
The Singer Was Involved In An Accident That Left One Woman Dead
LOS ANGELES (CBS) ―
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Criminal charges were not filed against Singer Brandy after a traffic collison in December 2006 that left a woman dead. (Photo by Stephen Shugerman/Getty Images)
Stephen Shugerman/Getty Images
R&B singer Brandy will not face criminal charges after a freeway collision that left a woman dead, Los Angeles city prosecutors announced Friday.
Brandy Norwood rear-ended a vehicle on the San Diego (405) Freeway near Sepulveda Boulevard on Dec. 30, 2006. The other driver, Awatef Aboudihaj, 38, died several hours after the collision.
"The City Attorney's Office has decided not to file misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter charges against Brandy Norwood in the case stemming from a Dec. 30, 2006, traffic collision," spokesman Frank Mateljan said in a statement. "After conducting a thorough investigation, which included consulting with some of the top accident reconstruction experts in the country, city prosecutors concluded that there was insufficient evidence from which a jury could find Ms. Norwood guilty of such a charge beyond a reasonable doubt."
Earlier in the week, the celebrity news Web site TMZ.com reported that the California Highway Patrol investigation found that Aboudihaj had struck the vehicle in front of her, then slammed on her brakes, causing Brandy to rear-end her.
Coroner Lt. Ed Winter found traces of marijuana in Aboudihaj's bloodstream.
Aboudihaj's family asked for $50 million in damages, according to the wrongful death lawsuit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court. The woman worked three jobs to take care of her parents in Morocco, her ill brother and sister and her three children from a previous marriage, according to her lawyer.
Brandy, 28, formerly starred in the UPN series "Moesha."
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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