SAN DIEGO — Testimony continued Thursday in the trial against Brandon Janik, the 38-year-old man accused of driving drunk and hitting and killing Joshua Gilliland, a beloved University Heights bartender in June of 2023.
Pierceton Crawford testified he was driving with his 6-year-old son on Park Boulevard that night.
Crawford said they were stopped at a red light, waiting to turn right onto El Cajon Boulevard. Crawford told the jury he saw a pedestrian, later identified as Gilliland, crossing the street in the crosswalk when a dark-colored sedan struck him and sped off.
Prosecutors said the crash happened at 8:46 p.m
Crawford testified Janik didn't brake before or after hitting Gilliland but slowed down a little bit after hitting him as if he couldn't believe he hit someone, or perhaps he was considering stopping but instead drove off. Crawford said he initially saw and heard Gilliland roll onto the hood before rolling off onto the street.
According to prosecutors, 47-year-old Gilliland was walking to work at the Cheers bar in University Heights when Janik hit him. Gilliland was rushed to the hospital, but he died four days later.
Janik faces a first-degree murder charge because of a previous DUI already on his record. He wasn't arrested until three months after that fatal crash. His defense attorney has argued there's no evidence proving his client's blood alcohol level was above the legal limit when he hit Gilliland.
