A man was charged today for murdering his girlfriend and trying to kill their four children when he allegedly crashed his vehicle into oncoming traffic on the 101 Freeway last week.

“A family has been torn apart by this tragic collision that leaves four young children without their mother,” Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón said.

Cesar Iban Torres, 31, was charged with one count of murder, four counts each of attempted murder and child abuse under circumstances or conditions likely to cause great bodily injury or death, and one count each of assault with a deadly weapon and resisting arrest.

On August 12, Torres was driving his SUV on the 101 Freeway in Encino when he allegedly went into oncoming traffic and struck a tractor trailer. His 26-year-old girlfriend, Aimee Garcia, was killed and the couple’s four children, ages 1 to 7, suffered moderate injuries.

Torres is accused of fleeing the scene and resisting arrest.

From KABC: “I’m just broken that my nephews are not going to grow up with their mom, and she put the kids over everything. She was all about the kids,” said Juan Zavala, Garcia’s brother.

Zavala says hours before the crash, Torres called him and made bizarre and disturbing comments.

“And he said… God talked to him and he said he has to give his family to God, and I’m like no, what are you talking about? Come back,” Zavala said.

Zavala said he tried to locate the family but had no luck. He said one of his nephews in the SUV told him his parents were struggling for control of the steering wheel before the collision.

“He said ‘mommy saved us,’ and that broke my heart,” Zavala said.

The case remains under investigation by the California Highway Patrol.

A GoFundMe page can be found here.

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