The man suspected of a drunken driving hit and run last July that killed one man, severely injured his girlfriend and killed her four dogs pleaded not guilty this morning in Sacramento Superior Court.
Paul William Walden, 31, who faces charges that include murder, vehicular manslaughter, hit and run and driving under the influence, entered the plea during a brief hearing and was ordered to face a preliminary hearing on March 15 that will decide whether he goes to trial.
Walden, whose record includes three previous DUI arrests, is accused in the death of Harison Long-Randall, a 21-year-old Grass Valley man who was struck while walking with his girlfriend and her dogs in a well-lit Carmichael crosswalk on July 16 at about 10 p.m.
Witnesses said the car that hit Long-Randall and his girlfriend, 23-year-old Gemily West, was traveling about 80 mph and never slowed down before or after the impact.
Walden was arrested three days after the incident. The California Highway Patrol said he was driving under the influence and on a suspended driver's license when he was pulled over.
He has been in custody without bail since his arrest.
Long-Randall's parents, Chris and Gail Randall, have made it a point to attend each of the 18 hearings that have been scheduled in the case and said today they will continue to do so.
Chris Randall said he was not surprised by Walden's plea.
"It was expected," he said.
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