Los Gatos Octogenarian to Appear in Court in March on Vehicular Manslaughter Charges

83, charged with felony vehicular manslaughter in the Oct. 23, 2011 death of a San Jose man riding his Segway at a downtown Morgan Hill crosswalk, will appear in court on March 20.

Chappell entered a not-guilty plea Jan. 3 at the Santa Clara County Courthouse in Morgan Hill. If convicted, he could face up to four years in state prison, according to Santa Clara County Deputy District Attorney Steve Lowney.

Chappell was arrested and booked into Santa Clara County Jail last October on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol the day of the tragedy and was charged with gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and felony DUI, according to Morgan Hill police Sgt. Troy Hoefling.

Killed in the accident was Marschelle Syverson, 72, an IBM employee.

According to Hoefling, the accident occurred at the intersection of Butterfield Boulevard and Jarvis Drive, in Morgan Hill.

Chappell, driving a 1991 Lexus SUV, apparently ran the red light and struck Syverson while he was in the crosswalk riding the Segway, he said.

According to Lowney, the not-guilty plea is customary for every defendant upon their first court appearance to get more time to retain an attorney or review the case.