A major recent event people mean by “what happened at Pepperdine” is the deadly Malibu crash on Pacific Coast Highway in 2023 that killed four Pepperdine University students, which is still in the news because of ongoing court proceedings.

Quick Scoop

  • In October 2023, four female Pepperdine seniors were struck and killed along Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) in Malibu, on a dangerous stretch sometimes called “Dead Man’s Curve.”
  • Prosecutors say a BMW traveling at very high speed hit parked cars, which then fatally struck the students as they walked along the roadside.
  • The victims were Pepperdine seniors and members of the Alpha Phi sorority; the university later awarded them degrees posthumously.

Legal case and latest news

  • The driver, in his early 20s, has been charged with multiple counts of murder related to the deaths of the four Pepperdine students.
  • In late 2025, a judge refused a defense request to dismiss the murder charges, allowing the case to move forward toward trial, which is why the incident has resurfaced in recent headlines.

Why it’s a big topic

  • The crash has intensified long‑running concerns about speeding and safety on PCH in Malibu, where residents and officials have pushed for stronger safety measures after multiple serious crashes.
  • On campus and online, the tragedy is often mentioned in discussions of Pepperdine student life, community grief, and how the university and city remember the victims and respond to road‑safety issues.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.