The suspect in a double-fatal crash in Auburn pleaded not guilty Thursday.
Phillip Ingram, the 62-year-old driver accused of drifting off Highway 49 near Locksley Lane Sunday evening and struck a group of teens walking home from the store, killing two, pleaded not guilty in Placer County Superior Court.
Trevor Keller and Jared Gaches, both 15 years old, were best friends and high school football teammates.
Investigators believe Ingram was involved in an accident earlier in the day just a few miles from Locksley Lane.
Ingram faces two counts of felony manslaughter in the accident. Investigators believe he was intoxicated.
Students at Placer High School constructed a memorial wall Monday where they could write notes and leave cards for Gaches and Keller. Many were seen comforting each other.
“He had this smile that made everybody else smile. When he laughed it made everybody laugh,” fellow student Kennedy Ambrosia said about Keller.
After court Thursday, Jared's father Todd Gaches shared a personal warning about the dangers of drunk or drugged driving.
