FULLERTON (CNS) – A 47-year-old man pleaded not guilty Thursday in connection with a fireworks accident last Fourth of July in Buena Park that killed an 8-year-old girl.
Jasmine Nguyen of Anaheim was at the home of Earl Decastro along with her mother and 7-year-old sister for a party in the 8000 block of Cornflower Circle, near the intersection of La Palma and Stanton avenues, prosecutors said.
Bail was set at $50,000 for Decastro, who is next due in court Sept. 11 for a pretrial hearing in the North Justice Center in Fullerton.
“This was a terrible accident and a beautiful young girl lost her life, and my client is devastated,” Decastro’s attorney, Jeff Kent, told City News Service.
Decastro is accused of igniting fireworks in front of his home for more than an hour before setting off an illegal $400 firework in the shape of a cake as a “grand finale,” prosecutors said.
The firework “malfunctioned” and exploded aerial mortar shells into the driveway, where his guests were watching the display, prosecutors said.
As some of his guests dashed into Decastro’s home to escape the mortars, a stash of fireworks near Jasmine exploded, prosecutors said. Jasmine was rushed to UCI Medical Center, where she was later pronounced dead.
Decastro was charged with involuntary manslaughter, unlawfully causing a fire with great bodily injury and possessing dangerous fireworks in excess of 100 pounds, all felonies.
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