A pickup truck slammed into the back of a Honda Accord on westbound Highway 44 in Redding shortly before 11 p.m. Friday, sending the Accord careening into a building and killing its passenger. The driver of the pickup, 29-year-old Anthony Carsella of Palo Cedro, was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence and second-degree murder, with bail set at $750,000.
According to Action News Now, the California Highway Patrol responded to the two-vehicle collision on Highway 44 east of Shasta View Drive. CHP said Carsella's gold Dodge Ram 1500 struck the rear of a white Honda Accord driven by 44-year-old Ay-Song Saechao of Redding, according to krcrtv.com. The impact sent the Honda veering to the right, where it crashed into a building north of the westbound lanes, the outlet reported.
First responders performed lifesaving measures on the Honda's passenger at the scene, but the passenger later died from their injuries, per the same krcrtv.com account. The passenger's identity has not been released pending notification of family members.
Conflicting Accounts of Booking Charges
Carsella was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence and second-degree murder, as reported by redding.com. The station's earlier report, however, listed Carsella as booked on suspicion of second-degree murder, two counts of DUI causing injury, and driving with a license suspended for a prior DUI. The two accounts differ on the full scope of booking charges, and it is not clear from available reporting whether formal charges have since been filed.
His bail was set at $750,000, the station noted. As of Monday, CHP's investigation into the crash remained ongoing, the outlet said.
A Pattern of Suspected Impaired Driving in Shasta County
Redding.com described the Highway 44 crash as at least the second deadly traffic collision in a little over a month in Shasta County in which alcohol or drugs were suspected. The outlet pointed to a Sept. 25 fiery head-on collision on Dersch Road that killed a 22-year-old man, after which a 23-year-old pickup driver was arrested on suspicion of DUI and vehicular manslaughter.
The county has seen similar cases before. In August 2024, a woman passenger died in a solo-vehicle crash on eastbound Highway 44 in Redding, and the driver was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of drugs, per krcrtv.com's earlier reporting. A separate Palo Cedro crash saw a pickup hit a tree, with the driver arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol and a passenger taken to the hospital with moderate to major injuries, according to actionnewsnow.com.
What a Second-Degree Murder Conviction Could Mean
California's penal code states that, except as otherwise provided, a person convicted of second-degree murder shall be punished by imprisonment in state prison for 15 years to life, according to California Legislative Information. That statute reflects a general sentencing range and is not a determination of the outcome in Carsella's case.
A previous Shasta County case underscores how such charges can resolve in court. A driver in a 2017 Redding crash with a reported blood alcohol content of .254 killed two teenagers and was later found guilty of two counts of second-degree murder, receiving a sentence of 30 years to life, according to the California Statewide Law Enforcement Association.
