WOODLAND — Heather and Kelly Jonasen got their first look Wednesday at the man accused of killing their mother Cynthia in a violent Davis crash.
“He didn’t seem like he cared, at all,” Heather Jonasen said following the arraignment hearing for Steven Hendrix, charged with murder, gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, driving under the influence and child endangerment in connection with the Feb. 24 collision on Second Street.
Steven Hendrix. Sue Cockrell/Enterprise photo
She recalled seeing Hendrix look out at the courtroom audience from the inmate holding cell, “but he looked like he was more concerned about people being there for him.”
Hendrix, 32, pleaded not guilty to the charges and was ordered to return to court March 16 for a preliminary hearing. His attorney, Deputy Public Defender Teal Dixon, declined to comment following the brief proceeding.
Police say Hendrix was driving westbound on Second Street at a high speed and under the influence of drugs when he broadsided Cynthia Jonasen’s car as she pulled out from Cantrill Drive. She died at the scene, while Hendrix and his six unrestrained passengers — including four children and their mothers — sustained minor injuries.
Five days earlier, Hendrix was found guilty of two felony domestic violence charges and found to have a “strike” offense for a prior burglary conviction. He was allowed to remain free on bail pending his April 7 sentencing.
Since the crash, someone has created a Facebook page for Hendrix, who apparently went by the nickname “Dogay.” It solicits support for carwashes to fund “a real Defence team” and calls the case against him “out of hand.”
“It is sad that this woman lost her life,” one post says. “For one burglary though he made a mistake and as for that felony D.V. conviction. We all know he didnt hit that girl.”
The Jonasen daughters were among a group of about 10 people to attend Wednesday’s hearing. They included one of Cynthia Jonasen’s longtime bridge-playing partners and a neighbor who said goodbye to her just minutes before the fatal crash.
“We’re here to represent my mom,” Kelly Jonasen said. “She’s not around, so we need to be her voice.”
Heather Jonasen wore her mother’s abalone pendant that a friend found, along with Cynthia Jonasen’s eyeglasses, while placing flowers at the crash scene Saturday.
Plans for a memorial service are still being finalized, but Cynthia Jonasen’s family is hoping that those who wish to honor her will do so by contributing toward organizations that help women and children, particularly those suffering from abuse.
“I just want my mom’s death to bring about something good for the community,” Heather Jonasen said. “My mom would want that, and we need that.”
— Reach Lauren Keene at lkeene@davisenterprise.net or 530-747-8048. Follow her on Twitter at @laurenkeene