Former Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Josh Klinghoffer has pleaded not guilty to vehicular manslaughter after he struck and killed a pedestrian with his SUV.

The star did not turn up to court and was able to enter his plea through his lawyer since the charge is a misdemeanor offense.

Klinghoffer, 44, who played with the band from 2009-2019, was driving a black GMC Yukon in Alhambra, California when he made a left turn and ran into Israel Sanchez, 47.

Sanchez’s daughter slammed the classification of the charge outside the Los Angeles Superior Court in Alhambra.

‘I miss my dad,’ Ashley Sanchez, told Rolling Stone after the hearing. ‘We’re seeking justice here. I don’t know why Josh is getting just a misdemeanor. It’s not okay. My father was a very great father.’

Klinghoffer’s attorney Andrew Brettler previously told DailyMail.com that the March incident was a ‘tragic accident’ – with the musician ‘fully cooperating’ with an investigation.

But Sanchez’s family is suing the guitarist and claim he was using his phone at the time of the crash.

The lawsuit alleges that Sanchez was dragged across the asphalt during the collision and sustained blunt force trauma to his head, causing his death hours later.

The lawsuit claims Klinghoffer did not apply his brakes, while also alleging he was ‘distracted behind the wheel’ due to allegedly being on his phone.

The suit adds that the family has ‘video evidence’ showing Klinghoffer on his phone just before the collision.

The video then shows the SUV driver pulling over after striking the pedestrian, before walking over to the body and then turning around and walking back to the vehicle.

Attorney Nick Rowley, who is representing Sanchez’s family, previously said in a statement obtained by Variety: ‘Mr. Klinghoffer should be arrested and prosecuted for homicide. 

‘We have a video of him on his cell phone at the time he hit and killed Israel Sanchez, a loving father, in a crosswalk.

‘Israel Sanchez was on his way to the grocery store to make soup for his family and never came home. 

‘He did everything right, looking for oncoming traffic and abiding by pedestrian signage, but tragically Mr. Klinghoffer, in a rush and on his phone, hit him fatally from behind with a large SUV.

Klinghoffer’s case is due back in court on October 31.

The civil case is due to proceed on October 18, with Sanchez’s family seeking reimbursement for medical costs as well as damages for pain and suffering. 

Klinghoffer replaced John Frusciante in the Red Hot Chili Peppers in 2009 and recorded two studio albums, I’m with You (2011) and The Getaway (2016), and the B-sides compilation I’m Beside You (2013).

Age 32, Klinghoffer was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with the Red Hot Chili Peppers in 2012, making him the youngest inductee at the time.

After he was booted out of the group in 2019 following Frusciante’s return, he became a touring and session member of both Pearl Jam (since 2021) and Jane’s Addiction (2023).

In a GoFundMe, Ashley said her father, ‘Israel will always be remembered for his humbleness and kindness’. 

‘He would always go out of his way to help others, was the life of the party, had a great sense of humor, and his smile brighten anyone’s day,’ she wrote.

‘He had a great passion for cooking, those who knew him or simply ever got to taste his food would definitely say he was an amazing chef.’