The Tribune, June 21, 2011 by Nick Wilson
http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2011/06/20/1650145/driver-in-fatal-avila-beach-crash.html
Professor Malcolm Feeley said that, typically, prosecutors look at a suspect’s criminal record and the circumstances of the crash when trying to decide whether to charge a driving fatality as second-degree murder…. “Prosecutors also are famous for charging at one level and then reducing charges as the case continues,” Feeley said. “Certainly any charge is a bargaining chip, and prosecutors usually offer something in the way of reduction.”