A 20-year-old Kent man pleaded not guilty on Thursday to vehicular homicide and vehicular assault charges in connection with a collision in October in Burien that killed a SeaTac woman.
Manoj Siwakoti entered the plea in King County Superior Court at the Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent, according to the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. He is scheduled to return to court for a hearing on March 30. If found guilty as charged, he could face up to 10 years in prison.
State Patrol troopers arrested Siwakoti on March 10 at his parents’ home on the East Hill in Kent. King County prosecutors had previously charged Siwakoti with vehicular homicide and assault but he failed to appear at a mandated court appearance.
Siwakoti was allegedly impaired by prescription drugs when he failed to stop on Oct. 24 at a red light at an intersection and struck a vehicle driven by Lilliam L. Portillo, 41, who died at the scene. The crash also seriously injured Portillo’s 10-year-old son.
Siwakoti was in custody for a week at the county jail in Kent with bail at $25,000. He was released on Thursday. He also spent four days in jail in October after his initial arrest for investigation of vehicular homicide and assault.
Traffic investigators estimated Siwakoti was driving about 50 mph in a 35 mph speed zone when he ran the red light and hit Portillo’s car. He was driving his father’s vehicle. Toxicology results showed that Siwakoti was impaired by prescription drugs, according to the State Patrol.
Siwakoti told troopers at the scene that he was just following his GPS.
“I go through red light trying to make U-turn,” he said to a trooper. “I just did what GPS say.”
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