By Wendy Moya
ALAMEDA, CA – A witness, who shall not be named for privacy concerns, testified in an Alameda County Superior Court trial this week about a deadly DUI case that left a man dead after being catapulted out of a vehicle.
Tyler Underwood, a Bay Area native, has a history of drunk driving that spans years, according to the prosecution. And, in October of 2018, he was involved in a crash that killed one of his friends.
According to police reports, Underwood was driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol and at more than 100 mph when, at the time of the impact, the victim’s body was catapulted from the vehicle. When police showed up at the scene of the accident, most victims of the accident were rushed to the hospital.
The deceased’s body was not discovered until a day later.
Underwood’s four-year-old daughter was also in the vehicle at the time of the crash, as well as a female passenger.
The witness said they had been with Underwood and the other passengers the evening of the accident. They insist Underwood had been drinking earlier that day and weaving in and out of the lanes at speeds upwards of 100 miles per hour.
The witness claims that they were dropped off at home by Underwood and, soon thereafter, went to bed but woke up to a call from the female passenger who was in Underwood’s car. She was calling from the hospital after the accident. She was later arrested for charges that were not made clear.
Deputy Public Defender Michael Wu asked the witness whether or not he was in an emotional relationship with the detained female passenger, because the witness had tattooed her name on his person, but the witness denied having a close relationship with the female passenger.
The defense attorney then asked the witness about his phone calls to the female passenger. He asked specifically whether the witness told the female passenger to “do whatever it takes to make it worse for Mr. Underwood and get him a longer sentence.”
The witness then denied this.
However, Wu then played an audio recording of a phone call between the witness and the female passenger, where the witness can be heard stating, “just make it worse for Tyler.”
The jury heard the audio recording of the witness stating this. However, due to technical issues, the witness was not able to hear it.
The trial is ongoing.
