Murder charges dropped against couple in Mountain View woman's death

SAN DIEGO (CNS) – Murder charges have been dropped against a couple in connection with the death of a woman who fell and suffered fatal injuries in the Mountain View neighborhood while trying to hold on to the hood of a moving truck.

At the end of a two-day preliminary hearing, San Diego Superior Court Judge Daniel Goldstein on Friday dismissed the charges against 27-year-old Cory Skellion and 25-year-old Brooklyn Broadway, who were charged last year in connection with the death of 32-year-old Angelica “Gel” Wuerth.

All charges against Skellion were dropped, but Broadway still faces manslaughter and hit-and-run charges. She now faces a maximum of six years in prison.

A spokesman for the San Diego County District Attorney's Office said in a statement: “We will continue to seek justice for the victim as we pursue the case.”

San Diego police said Skellion and Broadway had previously rented a home from Wuerth. Wuerth was found on the street shortly after 8 p.m. on November 10. She was taken to a hospital, where she died the following day.

While the initial call to police reported that a pedestrian had been struck by a car, police said that upon further investigation, it was determined that the victim was involved in a “confrontation” with Skellion and Broadway near Jamul Avenue and Ocean View Boulevard shortly before she sustained her fatal injuries.
According to SDPD Lt. Jud Campbell, the victim was initially struck by a van that Skellion was driving. The victim then clung to the hood, the van drove with her on the roof, and she was eventually thrown from the van, the lieutenant said.

The defense attorneys for both defendants stated that Würth confronted the couple and climbed onto the hood of their van as they were driving away. However, he did not climb down from the hood, even though the defendants eventually stopped the van.

At one point, Skellion and Broadway switched places, and while Broadway was driving, Wuerth fell off the hood as Broadway stopped at a traffic light, attorneys said.

Skellion and Broadway were arrested on November 15.

At their arraignment last year, defense attorneys said Skellion and Broadway were a newlywed couple from the South who were relatively new to San Diego.

Alicia Freeze, one of Skellion's attorneys, said her client was working at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot at the time. Broadway's attorney Brandon Naidu said she was an active member of the Marines stationed in San Diego.

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