Former Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Josh Klinghoffer pleaded not guilty to a charge of misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter without gross negligence in a California court on Thursday. The rocker’s plea was entered in court by his lawyer. Klinghoffer, 44, did not appear at his arraignment.
However, court sources tell The Post that in misdemeanor cases such as this, it’s routine for attorneys to appear without the involved parties. The Pearl Jam guitarist was charged last month after he allegedly hit and killed a pedestrian in a crosswalk while driving a black GMC Yukon in Alhambra, an exurb east of Los Angeles, on Mar. 18.
The victim, 47-year-old Israel Sanchez, was transported to a local area hospital and declared dead later that day. The cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head. A wrongful death suit filed by Sanchez’s family in July against Klinghoffer alleges the musician was using a cell phone and driving a car with no plates when the accident took place.
The lawsuit also claims that there is video evidence suggesting Kinghoffer “was likely driving while distracted” and “made no braking or slowing motion until after he fatally struck” Sanchez. However, a source close to the investigation told The Post on Thursday that the police have determined there was no cell phone involved in the cause of the accident. An attorney for Sanchez’s family pushed back after Thursday’s hearing, saying that in video evidence, Klinghoffer “appears to be holding a.