Jackson may be charged with second-degree murder in miscarriage case

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight title holder Quinton “Rampage” Jackson could face murder charges if prosecutors argue he caused a Huntington Beach woman’s miscarriage after he allegedly crashed into her car three weeks ago, legal experts said.

Holli Griggs, 38, was driving her 2007 Cadillac Escalade in the left lane on the southbound 55 Freeway near the freeway’s ending July 15 when authorities say Jackson’s lifted pick-up truck sideswiped her and one other car at 45 mph and continued down Newport Boulevard.

Griggs, who was more than four months pregnant with a boy at the time of the crash, had a miscarriage last week, said her attorney, Darren Aitken.

After the accident Griggs was sent to Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian, California Highway Patrol officials said. Bill Krebs, her fiance, said he and Griggs were then sent to pregnancy specialists at Kaiser Permanente Hospital in Anaheim, where doctors noticed the problem.

Proving beyond a reasonable doubt that the crash caused the miscarriage would be tough, even if it were true, said Jennifer Keller, a criminal defense attorney.

“There are lots and lots of reasons a woman can miscarry. Lots,” Keller said. “I’m just not seeing this materialize for them.”

Given what details police have released about the incident and what little is known about Jackson’s mental state at the time of the arrest, prosecutors are likely looking at second-degree murder charges or vehicular manslaughter charges if they want to prosecute him for the miscarriage, Keller said.

In California, murder charges can be applied to the killing of a person or a fetus. Without expressed intent, Jackson could possibly be charged with second-degree murder if prosecutors argue he knew what he was doing was dangerous to human life and did it anyway — what lawyers typically call “implied malice.”

District Attorney officials have declined to comment on possible charges facing Jackson, who remains free on $25,000 bail.

JOSEPH SERNA may be reached at (714) 966-4619 or at joseph.serna@latimes.com.