Attorneys said Friday they are ready to proceed with the murder trial of a Bakersfield woman accused of driving while intoxicated and killing a brother and sister.
Lisa Core, 47, was charged with two second-degree murder counts and two counts of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated in the deaths of JJ Malone, 19, and Caylee Brown, 9. Core has also pleaded not guilty to driving with her license suspended or revoked for DUI and failing to show proof of insurance at the scene of the accident.
A hearing was set for Feb. 6 to see what courtroom is available for a trial. Prosecutor Cole McKnight estimated a trial could last 15 days to three weeks.
Malone and Brown were struck at a bus stop on Panama Lane and died in December 2021. Police officers testified they saw Core driving west, swerve into eastbound lanes and up a sidewalk. She also had several pill bottles and pills scattered in her car when police extracted her from the wreck, officers testified at a preliminary hearing held in June.
A Kern Regional Crime Lab criminalist testified Core's blood testified positive for amphetamines, methamphetamine, clonazepam and 7-amino clonazepam at the preliminary hearing.
The parents of Brown and Malone have filed a lawsuit accusing the Greenfield Union School District of placing bus stops in a dangerous area that exposes students to harm.