The posthumous college degrees of the four Pepperdine University students who were killed in a collision with an erratic BMW driver in Malibu will be given to them.
The four young women, Niamh Rolston, Deslyn Williams, Asha Weir, and Peyton Stewart, were set to graduate in the spring when they were all tragically shot and killed on Tuesday night while strolling along the Pacific Coast Highway.
The Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department claims that the driver, 22-year-old Fraser Michael Bohm, lost control of his vehicle while driving down the famous route, slamming into a line of parked cars, and then the gathering of kids.
Two of the victims were taken to nearby hospitals, while the other victim who was a member of the same sorority was declared dead at the spot.
Bohm was detained on accusations of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence after he exited the car unscathed and was accosted by onlookers.
The Los Angeles Times reports that the liberal arts college at Pepperdine University, where the four victims were enrolled, canceled classes the morning following their untimely deaths.
The local newspaper stated that Rolston, Stewart, Weir, and Williams would also receive their college degrees posthumously, according to university officials.
According to Pepperdine President Jim Gash, “each departed student brought a unique gift and spirit to the University and we deeply grieve the unfulfilled hopes and aspirations of our precious community members.”
Online accounts state that Weir majored in English, Williams was premed, and Rolston and Stewart studied business.
Pepperdine held a prayer service for the victims Thursday morning and is organizing individual memorial services to honor each student.
“In the days ahead, we will come together in meaningful ways to honor and celebrate the lives of the remarkable individuals lost to this unthinkable tragedy,” Gash said.
