A woman accused of using her station wagon to intentionally strike a bicyclist in Claremont, killing her, and trying to run down several others remains in custody while arraignment, which was rescheduled Friday for Nov. 19.
Sandra Marie Wicksted of Claremont, who’s jailed in lieu of $2 million bail, is charged with murder in connection with the death of Leslie Pray, 54, of Claremont, last weekend.
The 61-year-old defendant is also charged with four counts of attempted murder for allegedly trying to run down four other cyclists, who escaped injury, before the collision that killed Pray.
The charges include allegations that she personally used a deadly and dangerous weapon — a vehicle — and that she committed the crimes willfully, deliberately and with premeditation.
Pray died at the scene of the collision with Wicksted’s 1996 Mercury Tracer, which was reported at 11:37 a.m. last Saturday in the 1900 block of Mills Avenue.
“Based on the investigation, it was determined that the driver intended to strike the bicyclist,” Claremont police Lt. Eric Huizar said.
Wicksted, who was treated at a hospital for unspecified injuries, was arrested just after 12:05 p.m. and has remained in custody since then. If convicted as charged, she could face a maximum of life in state prison, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
More than 100 people attended a candlelight vigil Monday night at the scene of the crash, where a so-called “ghost bike” painted white was left at the location as a memorial to Pray. Ghost bikes have become common markers of sites where cyclists have died in vehicle collisions.