Rios pleaded not guilty to murder charges in a Chatsworth Metro bus crash.

A not-guilty plea puts the State to its proof. It is not a finding that the crash charges are false, and it is not a conviction. On Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026, she pleaded not guilty in Los Angeles County Superior Court in San Fernando, and she remains jailed in lieu of $4.1 million bail.

FOX 11 Los Angeles reported the plea as not guilty to two counts of second-degree murder, one felony count of driving under the influence causing injury, and a misdemeanor count of reckless driving, with great-bodily-injury allegations as reported. The crash was about 5 p.m. on Sept. 15, 2026. The Los Angeles Police Department says she drove a gray 2004 Ford Expedition south in the northbound lanes of De Soto Avenue, ran a red light, nearly struck an eastbound vehicle, and hit the side of a Metro Line 166 bus in the 20900 block of Nordhoff Street in Chatsworth. The impact fully ejected one passenger and partially ejected another. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner identified the people killed as Daniel Castillo, 46, and Gage Weida, 31. Castillo died on the bus. Weida was thrown onto the street and died at the scene. Six people were taken to hospitals, including Rios and the bus driver. Those are the reported facts of the crash. They are not findings.

District Attorney Nathan Hochman said Rios was impaired by drugs and could face up to life in prison if convicted. That is a prosecutor's statement. It is not a court finding of impairment. Narcotics were allegedly found in the SUV. The type has not been publicly identified. Arraignment had been repeatedly delayed for medical reasons before Thursday's plea. FOX 11 reported the next court date as Nov. 2, to set a preliminary-hearing date. A nearby helicopter crash investigation is a separate matter. The District Attorney's Office will evaluate whether federal findings affect this prosecution. Those deaths are not on this complaint. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.