Prosecutors say the case now includes murder counts in the deaths of two bystanders and an unborn child.
POMONA, Calif. — Prosecutors have filed murder charges against a Pomona man accused of fleeing police and crashing into a young couple’s car, killing them as they prepared for the birth of their first child, officials said Friday.
According to police and court officials, the case began late April 1 when officers responded to a domestic violence call on East 10th Street. Investigators say Marshall Campbell Judson, 31, returned to the scene in a truck, struck a parked patrol car and sped away, prompting a short pursuit through Pomona. The chase ended near Garey Avenue and County Road, where authorities say Judson crashed into a Ford Fusion carrying Jennifer Alejandra Loera Zarco, 25, and Marc Anthony Trejo, 26. Both were killed, and prosecutors say the filing now reflects a third death because Loera Zarco was pregnant and nearing her due date.
What first emerged as a local crash report has become a broader story of loss for a city family and a serious criminal case for the courts. Family members identified the couple as parents-to-be who were expecting a baby boy within weeks. Relatives told reporters they had spent recent days getting ready for the child’s arrival, making the timing of the crash especially painful. The collision itself was sudden and destructive. Video from the scene showed shattered parts across the road, while emergency crews closed off the intersection and began the long process of documenting what happened. Police said the victims had no connection to the domestic violence call that first brought officers to the neighborhood. They were simply in the wrong place at the worst possible moment.
Authorities first announced a set of initial allegations that included vehicular manslaughter, assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer, felony evasion, driving under the influence, driving without a valid license and firearm-related counts. Investigators said they recovered a firearm and miscellaneous firearm components from Judson’s vehicle after the crash. On Friday, however, prosecutors raised the stakes sharply. The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office filed a complaint charging Judson with two counts of murder, one count of murder of a human fetus, counts alleging he fled a pursuing police vehicle and caused death, and additional charges tied to the alleged assault on an officer and a weapon in the vehicle. The shift from manslaughter allegations to murder charges signals that prosecutors believe the facts support a stronger theory of criminal liability, though the evidence behind that decision will be tested as the case moves through court.
The victims’ names and ages have helped turn the case from a headline into a portrait of interrupted lives. Loera Zarco was 25. Trejo was 26. Family members described them as a couple close to a major life moment, not people at the center of a police incident. Their story has resonated across Southern California because it joins two familiar public concerns in one event: domestic violence calls that can become volatile without warning, and police pursuits that can endanger drivers who never knew a chase was passing nearby. Police have said officers had responded to the same home before, including another domestic violence-related call. Still, several important facts have not been made public. Authorities have not released a full reconstruction timeline, the suspected speed of the fleeing truck, toxicology results, or any body-camera or dashboard footage that might show how the pursuit unfolded second by second.
Judson is expected in court Monday for arraignment at the Pomona Courthouse, where the charges will be formally presented and the next phase of the case will begin. Bail reporting has varied across early public accounts, but prosecutors have described the matter as a high-level custody case while he remains jailed. Court proceedings in the coming days are likely to focus on the complaint, the factual basis for the murder counts and the schedule for future hearings. Separate reviews may also continue outside the criminal courtroom, including police examination of the pursuit itself and forensic work on the crash, firearm evidence and any impairment allegation. Those steps could clarify whether more charges are added, whether some are reduced or dismissed, and what evidence eventually reaches a jury if the case goes to trial.
For now, the human weight of the story has come through most clearly in the words of relatives and in the plain facts of the timeline. A couple nearing the birth of a son were killed before reaching home. The man accused of causing the crash was arrested at the scene. By the end of the week, what started as a police response to one call had widened into a case involving three deaths and multiple felony counts. That sequence has left a city mourning and a courtroom preparing for a case that is likely to draw close attention. The next milestone comes Monday, when the arraignment is expected to give the first fuller public look at how prosecutors intend to frame one of Pomona’s most closely watched criminal cases this year.
As of Saturday, the suspect remained in custody and the court case was moving toward arraignment Monday. Police and prosecutors have said the investigation into the pursuit, the crash and the surrounding evidence is still active.
Author note: Last updated April 4, 2026.