Murder charge filed in 2022 car crash that killed Citrus Heights toddler, DA says
Murder charges have been filed more than three years after a 2-year-old boy died in a crash on Interstate 80 between Citrus Heights and Roseville
The Placer County District Attorney’s Office announced the charges Friday against Kostas Linardos, who is suspected of causing the crash.
Linardos, 44, was going “well over the speed limit” in a Ram pickup truck Nov. 16, 2022, on Interstate 80 near an on-ramp, according to a Facebook post by the DA’s Office. Prosecutors say he hit a stopped Volkswagen sedan with a tire issue. The child’s mother had the vehicle’s hazard lights on at the time.
The collision caused the boy’s death, despite the child being secured in a child safety seat in the back of the car. He was transported to a hospital where he later died, according to previous Sacramento Bee reporting.
Linardos appeared in Placer County Superior Court and will remain in custody on a second-degree murder charge without bail, according to the online jail roster. He will next appear in court May 15.
At the time of the crash, all involved parties lived in Citrus Heights, according to previous Bee reporting.
