Juan Manuel Alvarez does not dispute that his actions led to the tragic Metrolink train collision three years ago in which 11 people were killed and more than 180 injured. What he does contest is that he intended to harm anybody other than himself.
The issue of whether the 29-year-old Compton man willfully set out to derail a train, commit arson, maim and kill people will be at the core of arguments that a jury of three men and nine women will begin to hear today as Alvarez's trial gets underway.
If convicted of first-degree murder, Alvarez could face the death penalty.
On the morning of Jan. 26, 2005, Alvarez parked his Jeep Grand Cherokee on railroad tracks about half a mile south of downtown Glendale. He ran from the vehicle shortly before a southbound Metrolink commuter train slammed into it. The train derailed, struck a parked Union Pacific freight train and then collided with a northbound Metrolink passenger train.
It was the most devastating wreck in Metrolink history, authorities said.
Alvarez's intent is important in a legal sense: If he meant to kill passengers on the train, he could be found guilty of first-degree murder. But even if jurors do not find that intent, Alvarez could be convicted of second-degree murder if it can be shown that his actions created a high probability of death, and that he knew of the risks associated with parking his vehicle on the tracks.
Attorney Thomas W. Kielty, who represents Alvarez, said his client's tragic deed was a failed attempt at suicide. He said Alvarez changed his mind about killing himself and tried to remove his Jeep from the tracks, but the tires only spun into the gravel. At the last moment, he said, Alvarez jumped out of the way of the oncoming train. Alvarez never intended to hurt anybody, Kielty said.
"If Juan Alvarez's intent was to commit suicide, then there is no question that he's not guilty of the felonies," Kielty said. "In a civil and moral sense it was his fault, and there's no denying that. But there is no first-degree murder, because he did not intend to derail and burn the train."
Kielty said that Alvarez, who he said has a history of mental illness and suicide attempts, would take the witness stand. At the time of the incident, Alvarez was depressed and having marital problems, his lawyer said.
Other witnesses, Kielty said, would be called to testify about Alvarez's state of mind before and after the train crash.
