3 Ventura County women killed by alleged DUI driver in Los Angeles
Three women with ties to Ventura County died this month in a two-vehicle collision on Highway 118 in Granada Hills, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner’s Office said Wednesday.
The victims were identified as Yvonne Joby, 18, of Ventura, Yasmeen Jobeh, 23, of Oxnard and Jennifer Dagher, 20, of Ventura.
The cause of death in all three cases was deferred pending further investigation, according to the coroner's office. Their identities had been withheld from the public until they were positively identified this week.
The crash happened late at night on May 14, a Saturday. California Highway Patrol officers and Los Angeles Fire Department personnel responded to the accident on eastbound Highway 118 near the transition to Interstate 405 after receiving multiple calls around 11:55 p.m.
A 2003 Mercedes-Benz C240 sedan with the three women was fully engulfed in flames after reportedly being hit by a 2013 Mercedes-Benz SL550 convertible, callers told CHP officials. The sedan was reportedly stopped in the right lane of the transition road when it was hit.
The driver of the Mercedes sedan and her two passengers died at the scene.
The man driving the other car, identified as Karen Gharibyan, 63, of Glendale, suffered major injuries and was transported to Providence Holy Cross Hospital, according to the CHP. He has since been arrested on suspicion of murder, CHP Officer Weston Haver, a spokesman for the agency's West Valley division, said Wednesday.
Gharibyan was apparently headed eastbound on the 118 toward the northbound transition to the 405 when he veered to the right over the marked triangular section between the freeways to get to the southbound 405, CHP reports say.
Authorities don't know why the driver made the change, but in doing so his car struck the 2003 Mercedes, which was stopped for undetermined reasons. The collision sent the older car into the sound wall where it burst into flames.
According to online court documents, Gharibyan pleaded not guilty to three counts of murder during an arraignment Monday at the San Fernando Courthouse of Los Angeles County Superior Court. He is due back for a preliminary hearing at 8:30 a.m. June 9 at the Clara Shortridge Folze Criminal Justice Center in downtown Los Angeles.
"I was absolutely shocked," said Josilynn De Martino, a longtime friend of Joby, the day after the crash occurred. "I was really sad."
De Martino and Joby attended Anacapa Middle School together in Ventura. While they went to different high schools and graduated in 2021, they kept in touch and texted each other earlier this month.
"She was just absolutely the nicest person really I've ever met," De Martino said. "She would always go out of her way to text and post."
A GoFundMe created by family members indicated Jobeh and Joby were cousins, both of whom were pursuing careers related to mental health.
The campaign states it is raising funds for a scholarship in honor of the two women to be awarded to two high school seniors pursuing careers related to mental health. Over $18,000 had been raised as of Wednesday morning. The fundraiser can be found at https://www.gofundme.com/f/yasmeen-jobeh-yvonne-joby-memorial.
Jeremy Childs is a breaking news and public safety reporter covering the night shift for the Ventura County Star. He can be reached by calling 805-437-0208 or emailing jeremy.childs@vcstar.com. You can also find him on Twitter @Jeremy_Childs.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: 3 Ventura County women killed by alleged DUI driver in Los Angeles
