Calif. man's charge upped to murder after tweets

PLEASANTON, Calif. (AP) — Police and prosecutors in California say an 18-year-old accused of killing a bicyclist with his car has had a vehicular manslaughter charge upgraded to murder in part because he boasted about speeding on Twitter.

The San Francisco Chronicle and Oakland Tribune report that Cody Hall, of Pleasanton, is being held without bail after he was charged Wednesday with the murder of 58-year-old Diana Hersevoort.

Authorities say Hall hit Hersevoort and her husband along a busy boulevard in Dublin on June 9.

Prosecutors say an analysis of Hall's driving record, along with Twitter posts in which he discussed how fast he liked to drive, persuaded them to change the charge to murder.

Neither the newspapers nor The Associated Press could reach an attorney for Hall for comment.