Woman Accused Of Killing Her Twin Sister In Hawaii Goes On Trial

The murder trial of a woman accused of allegedly killing her twin sister by driving off a cliff on purpose in Hawaii in 2016, commenced on Monday.

According to a report by ABC News, Alexandria Duval, 39, drove on Hana Highway, Maui, Hawaii, on May. 29, 2016, with her twin sister, Anastasia Duval in the passenger seat and the car went down a cliff. Alexandria survived the approximately 200-foot fall but Anastasia died on the spot.

Alexandria was charged with second-degree murder to which she pleaded not guilty, the report said.

Deputy prosecuting attorney of Maui, Emlyn Higa, in an opening statement, Monday, stated that Alexandria "intentionally or knowingly" drove the vehicle off the cliff. Defense attorney, Birney Bervar, described the crash as a "tragic accident, not murder."

Higa stated another driver named Randolph Castro, saw Alexandria's vehicle making dangerous turns on the road which resulted in other cars moving out of their way. Castro also followed Alexandria's car and saw them stop the vehicle at times, the prosecution said.

Higa continued by saying, Castro allegedly witnessed both sisters "physically fighting within the car." Higa also stated that when Castro tried to inquire more about the ongoing situation, "the defendant [Alexandria] just drove off again."

Another witness claimed hearing "screaming coming from within the SUV." The witness also allegedly claimed to hear the driver of the vehicle shout about needing a psychiatrist about three times, stated Higa.

According to the prosecution, Alexandria allegedly stopped her vehicle with the hazard lights turned on and kept engaging in a physical fight with Anastasia. Higa continued that a witness alleged he had heard the sound of Alexandria's vehicle and saw the car speeding down the road.

The witness then said the vehicle "suddenly jerked" towards the left and then went down the cliff, Higa said.

Higa alleged Alexandria made a hard acceleration, took a hard left turn and didn’t use any brakes, which according to him were three pivotal facts of the case.

Higa stated the prosecuting team will show evidence gathered from the road, an eyewitness who witnessed the crash and also information taken from Alexandria's vehicle, which he said "indicated that the brakes were not used and quantifies the acceleration and the turn."

However, the defense attorney, Bervar said in his opening statement that he would be presenting evidence from the road, witnesses and Anastasia’s body to prove the fact that the crash was a "tragic accident" and was not criminal in nature.

Bervar stated Anastasia pulled Alexandria's hair "violently" in the car. Bervar said: "Several eyewitnesses…witnessed violent fighting and hair pulling — that the passenger was violently pulling my client's hair with both of her hands — pulling it so hard it was jerking her head over the passenger side seat."

Bervar further stated Anastasia pulled Alexandria's hair so fiercely that strands of Alexandria's blonde hair were found in Anastasia’s hands. Bervar also added that pictures of the tire marks would "show the car not taking a sudden left turn, but just running off the road."

The report said a witness named Chad Smith testified saying he witnessed the sisters inside the vehicle and it seemed like they were "arguing" with their hands up, were angry and were shouting at each other.

An unnamed police officer also testified stating Alexandria's vehicle was badly damaged after the incident and when he stopped to inspect the incident, he saw Anastasia’s mouth was foaming and it looked as if she had "major head trauma."

According to a report by The Associated Press, both sisters were born Alison and Ann Dadow in Utica, New York. Before they changed their names they ran popular yoga studios in Florida. Both sisters moved to Hawaii from Utah in 2015.

Alexandria waived her right to a jury trial hence her fate will be decided by a judge, ABC News reported.