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Derailment Suspect: I Was A Meth Addict

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May 28, 2008 1:27 pm US/Pacific

Derailment Suspect: I Was A Meth Addict

LOS ANGELES (AP) ― A man charged with murder for causing a deadly Los Angeles-area commuter rail disaster has testified he was a methamphetamine addict in withdrawal when he decided to kill himself by driving his SUV onto train tracks.

Juan Alvarez testified Wednesday he felt unhappy and depressed whenever he stopped using the drug but decided to go off of it after suffering ill effects. He has said he decided to kill himself that day but changed his mind at the last minute and then could not move his vehicle off the tracks.

Alvarez's lawyer ended his examination by showing the defendant was an abused child who tried to commit suicide several times after being beaten by his father and sexually abused by an uncle.

The SUV derailed one Metrolink train into the path of a second commuter train in 2005. Alvarez is charged with 11 counts of murder.

(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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