Alleged DUI suspect charged with Manhattan Beach teen's death

Los Angeles County prosecutors charged a suspected drunk driver who allegedly killed a high school senior who was about a month away from graduating.

Jenia Resha Belt, 33, faces one count of murder, one count of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and a misdemeanor count for driving on a suspended or revoked license, according to the LA County District Attorney's Office. 

The California Department of Motor Vehicles said authorities suspended Belt's driving license in January 2024. 

This is not the first time Belt faced drunk driving charges. In 2023, prosecutors filed drunk driving and hit-and-run charges against Belt, according to court records. 

She's being held on a $2 million bail. Her arraignment is scheduled for Dec. 24. 

The deadly crash happened earlier this year on May 4, along the 100 block of Sepulveda Boulevard in Manhattan Beach. Braun Levi, 18, and his friend were walking along the road when Belt allegedly struck the Loyola High School senior, according to the Manhattan Beach Police Department. 

Paramedics rushed Levi to a nearby hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. 

"Braun was a shining presence in our Loyola family, bringing light, joy, and inspiration to everyone he touched," LHS Principal Jamal K. Adams wrote in a statement in May. 

An Instagram post from the school's athletic department said that he was a team captain and four-year starter for their tennis team and had "cemented himself as one of the most accomplished student-athletes in program history."

Levi's family moved to Manhattan Beach after the Palisades Fire destroyed their home.

"He was instrumental in helping build peer-to-peer counseling for other young people that lost their homes," Principal Adams said. "And then was instrumental with some of our administrators in putting together an overnight retreat."