Man accused of killing SLO couple in crash released with ankle monitor
The man accused of hitting and killing a San Luis Obispo couple while they were walking their dog was released from custody Wednesday and will have to wear an ankle monitor until his trial.
Daniel Angel Saligan Patricio, 24, allegedly struck Matthew Chachere, 39, and Jennifer Besser, 36, with his car on Nov. 21.
Chachere and Besser were found under dense brush near the intersection of Sacramento Drive and Basil Lane the next day, several hours after police received a report of a dead dog in the creekbed.
The San Luis Obispo Police Department arrested Saligan Patricio on Monday after a three-month investigation.
The San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s Office subsequently charged him with two felony charges of vehicular manslaughter.
Police say driver was speeding
According to police, Saligan Patricio was traveling in the 3400 block of Sacramento Drive when he lost control of his vehicle and fatally struck the couple and their pet.
Saligan Patricio’s vehicle hit the curb, a street sign and the bridge that spans the creek, police said.
Speed was likely a factor in the crash, according to police. The deputy district attorney trying the case said in court Saligan Patricio was driving 60 miles per hour “on a street he knew well,” despite the speed limit being 25 miles per hour.
Up until Wednesday morning, Saligan Patricio had been in custody at San Luis Obispo County Jail, with bail set at $200,000.
But defense attorney Ilan Funke-Bilu asked San Luis Obispo Superior Court Judge Craig van Rooyen to lower his client’s bond because he cannot afford it.
Funke-Bilu said Saligan Patricio’s Apple Watch immediately called police to the scene and said the incident was determined an accident by responding officers.
The defense attorney said his client has continued to work and stay in the area despite the publicity surrounding the case.
“The court has had the benefit of seeing my client’s risk to safety since Nov. 22, and there isn’t one,” Funke-Bilu said.
The lawyer asked for Saligan Patricio’s bail to be lowered to $10,000 in exchange for his driver’s license and a promise not to drive in the near future.
The deputy district attorney asked the judge to keep the bail at $200,000, adding that Saligan Patricio was reviewing texts on his phone coming up to the turn where he crashed, and was drinking earlier that day.
Police did conduct a DUI investigation and no evidence was found to support that charge, the deputy district attorney confirmed.
During Wednesday’s hearing, van Rooyen said he did not see Saligan Patricio as a public safety threat.
Medical emergency halts morning hearing
The morning hearing was disrupted suddenly when the prosecutor suffered a medical emergency and collapsed while the judge was in the middle of setting new bail parameters for the defendant.
An ambulance was called, and the arraignment was postponed to the afternoon. The prosecutor is OK according to those familiar with the matter.
When the arraignment resumed, Saligan Patricio did not enter a plea to two felony vehicular manslaughter charges.
Judge van Rooyen released Saligan Patricio from custody, with the caveat that the defendant will have to wear an ankle monitor, surrender his driver’s license, cannot drink alcohol or go to somewhere that sells alcohol, and follow probation requirements.
Saligan Patricio is expected to enter a plea March 22.
This story was originally published March 1, 2023 at 12:04 PM.
