Multiple counts of murder have been added to a criminal complaint against a Utah resident who allegedly killed three people in a multi-vehicle, head-on crash along U.S. 95 late last year.
The high-impact collision also caused serious injuries to several others in the aftermath.
Nye County District Attorney Chris Arabia said the suspect, Christos Vrachnos, is also facing charges for alleged DUI and reckless driving causing death and substantial bodily harm in connection with the November 2021 crash just south of Beatty.
Vrachnos is also charged with killing his dog, who was ejected during the crash.
“We have been working hard on this case for many months and are determined to see justice done for the father and his two children who died and for all the other victims,” Arabia said. “While it is unusual to see murder charges alongside a DUI and reckless, we are confident in this case that the evidence will show that this crash was an intentional act and so we believe Nevada law contemplates murder charges.”
Arabia went on to say that crimes along Nevada highways can be just as deadly as other violent offenses, and just as devastating to a family, and the response needs to be in line with that reality.
Officials from the Nevada Highway Patrol stated that Vrachnos was driving a silver Volvo northbound on the highway near Amargosa Valley when he allegedly failed to maintain his travel lane when the Volvo collided with a truck carrying a camper.
The vehicle, according to NHP, then crashed into a Chrysler minivan, killing the family of three.
The Nye County Sheriff’s Office at the time identified the three victims in the crash as Thomas Catan, 41, Abiel Catan, 12, and Ayana Catan, 7, from Washington state.
The murder charges, according to the release, could each carry a life sentence.
All seven of the DUI-death or substantial injury charges carry two-to-20-year prison sentences, while the seven reckless-death or substantial injury charges carry one-to-six-year sentences.
The charge for killing the dog carries a one-to-four-year sentence.
The preliminary hearing in the case is set for Sept. 12, at Beatty Justice Court.
Contact reporter Selwyn Harris at sharris@pvtimes.com. On Twitter: @pvtimes