Legal proceedings are moving ahead for a man accused of a DUI crash that took the life of an Arvin educator.

Marque Qualls, 28, will stand trial beginning August 11, 2025, on charges of second degree murder and gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated following a crash that killed Larry Hallum in February 2023.

Prosecutors say Qualls was under the influence when his car struck Hallum’s vehicle at the intersection of Old River Road and White Lane. Qualls reportedly admitted trying to kill himself by intentionally crashing his car.

Hallum suffered serious injuries and died in the hospital several weeks later. He was a U-S Army veteran who served in Vietnam, then returned to Kern County to teach in Arvin for more than 40 years.