The family of 23-year-old Connor Elliott Lopez is bracing for what they see as a second blow: the possibility that the driver charged in the Elk Grove crash that killed him could get misdemeanor diversion and walk away without a public criminal record. For Connor’s mother and supporters, learning that the manslaughter case might quietly vanish has reopened a raw wound and sharpened their argument that the law can erase consequences even when someone dies.
What happened
Lopez died on April 23, 2025, when the motorcycle he was riding collided with an SUV that was making a left turn on Sheldon Road near Lewis Stein Road, authorities said. KCRA reported the crash happened around 3:50 p.m. Local court filings show the SUV’s driver was later charged with misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter. The driver, identified in court records as Harjit Kaur, was arraigned in mid-December and did not appear in person for that initial hearing, according to the Elk Grove Citizen.
How diversion works
The case is drawing attention because of California’s 2020 misdemeanor diversion law, which lets a judge pause a case, order treatment or other conditions, and then dismiss the charges if the defendant completes the program. As CalMatters has reported, investigators found dozens of cases in which diversion was granted in crashes that killed people, leaving families frustrated that both the criminal record and related DMV consequences can effectively disappear.
Family reaction and activism
Connor’s relatives have tried to turn their grief into action. They have organized memorials, created a scholarship in his name and launched a petition they call “Keep Killers Off Our Roads.” Hoodline covered a scholarship and remembrance gathering in its story on the remembrance event. The Elk Grove Citizen reports the family has collected more than 10,000 signatures and quotes supporter Allison Lyman warning after the December arraignment, “We have to be prepared for a diversion program.”
State response and legislation
The diversion fight is not just playing out in courtrooms. It has also landed at the Capitol. On Feb. 24, Sen. Shannon Grove introduced SB 1373, a proposal that would narrow eligibility for mental health diversion and give judges greater discretion to deny diversion in serious or repeat offender cases, according to KCRA. Supporters of the bill say it is meant to add guardrails so that violent crimes are not steered into diversion.
Legal implications
Behind all of this is AB 3234, the 2020 law that created statewide misdemeanor diversion authority and is now codified in Penal Code section 1001.95. The bill’s official text explains that judges may offer diversion in many misdemeanor cases, set conditions such as counseling or classes, then dismiss the case if the defendant follows through. Critics say that is exactly why the statute needs tightening or at least clearer rules for DMV reporting in traffic deaths. The full language is posted on leginfo.
Why advocates say change is needed
Victims’ families and some prosecutors argue that diversion was supposed to be a second chance for low level offenders, not an off-ramp for drivers in fatal crashes. They say using it in deadly cases weakens deterrence and undercuts victims’ rights. CalMatters reported that investigators identified roughly three dozen drivers who avoided manslaughter convictions through diversion, a tally that advocates now cite as Exhibit A in their push for reform.
What’s next
The Lopez family says it plans to keep showing up, both at Sacramento County Superior Court hearings and at the weekly vigils they hold at the crash site. Prosecutors and local leaders will have to decide whether to formally oppose any request for diversion in Kaur’s case, which remains pending. Family members told CBS Sacramento they will continue pressing for accountability. For now, Connor’s mother and supporters are trying to channel public anger into legislative and courtroom pressure so that fatal crashes like his are not quietly scrubbed from the record.
