Former Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Josh Klinghoffer pleaded not guilty to the charge of vehicular manslaughter in court in California. 

Former Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Josh Klinghoffer pleaded not guilty to the charge of vehicular manslaughter in court in California. 

Guitarist Josh Klinghoffer, a former Red Hot Chili Peppers member who also has played with Pearl Jam, pleaded not guilty through his attorney Thursday to a misdemeanor manslaughter charge in the death of a pedestrian.Authorities say Klinghoffer, 44, was driving an SUV and making a left turn in Alhambra, California, just east of Los Angeles on March 18 when he hit 47-year-old Israel Sanchez, who was walking in a crosswalk. Sanchez was later pronounced dead at a hospital. Klinghoffer was charged on Aug. 29 with vehicular manslaughter without gross negligence, a misdemeanor that can bring a maximum of one year in jail and a $1,000 fine. He is not charged with having any violent intent, only with a failure to yield. His lawyer, Blair Berk, entered the plea for him in an Alhambra courtroom. Berk declined to comment after the hearing. Sanchez's daughter filed a wrongful death and negligence lawsuit against Klinghoffer in July. The lawsuit alleges Klinghoffer was driving with no plates and using a phone at the time…

Guitarist Josh Klinghoffer, a former Red Hot Chili Peppers member who has also played with Pearl Jam, has pleaded not guilty through his attorney to a misdemeanor manslaughter charge in the death of a pedestrian.

Josh Klinghoffer, the former Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist who has also logged time as a touring member of bands like Pearl Jam and Jane’s Addiction, was sued for wrongful death back in July. The lawsuit stemmed from a March incident, caught on camera, in which Klinghoffer appeared to strike pedestrian Israel Sanchez with his SUV, leading to Sanchez’s death a few hours later. Now Klinghoffer is facing criminal charges in addition to the lawsuit.