The Yoga Twins Murder Case: Crash, Bench Trial, and Acquittal

The yoga twins murder case ended in acquittal. On February 1, 2018, Maui Second Circuit Judge Peter Cahill found Alexandria Duval not guilty of second-degree murder in the death of her identical twin sister, Anastasia Duval, who was killed on May 29, 2016, when the Ford Explorer Alexandria was driving plunged roughly 200 feet off a cliff on Maui’s Hana Highway. The judge concluded prosecutors had not proven Alexandria intentionally drove off the road, and that the sisters’ physical fight inside the vehicle likely caused her to lose control.¹

Who the Yoga Twins Were

Alexandria and Anastasia Duval were born Alison and Ann Dadow in the Utica, New York, area.² From roughly 2008 to 2014 they co-owned two high-end yoga studios in Palm Beach County, Florida, operating under the name Twin Power Yoga, with locations in West Palm Beach and Palm Beach Gardens.³ Former students described them as gifted instructors who drew crowds with their synchronized teaching.⁴

The business collapsed in 2014 after a reality television deal fell through. The sisters abruptly closed both studios, leaving unpaid employees and vendors behind, and each filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in Utah reporting roughly $150,000 in debts.⁴⁵ They legally changed their names from Alison and Ann Dadow to Alexandria and Anastasia Duval, reportedly to write a book together. Their time in Utah brought repeated encounters with police, including a January 2014 incident in which officers found them yelling and pulling each other’s hair after their vehicle ended up in a ditch.⁶ They moved from Utah to Hawaii in December 2015.²

The Crash on Hana Highway

On May 29, 2016, Alexandria was driving a 2016 white Ford Explorer along the Hana Highway on Maui, with Anastasia in the passenger seat. The SUV was registered to Alexandria’s boyfriend, Lonnie Dickerson. At the time, the twins and their respective boyfriends were living together in a rental home in Haiku.⁷

Several drivers on the road that day described what they saw. Randolph Castro said the SUV was weaving and the sisters were fighting inside. Chad Smith reported them arguing, yelling, and using their hands. Kaisa Tevaga saw the SUV stopped with its hazards on and the passenger pulling the driver’s hair while the driver cried. Joseph Toleafoa testified that he saw the passenger pulling the driver’s hair immediately before the vehicle made a sharp left turn over the cliff.⁸ Another witness, Cecelia Kupau, heard Alexandria yelling from the vehicle, “Call the psychiatrist, I need a psychiatrist!”⁹

The Explorer struck a rock wall and fell about 200 feet onto a rocky shoreline. Anastasia, 37, died. Alexandria survived with injuries.²

Charges, Dismissal, and Indictment

Alexandria was arrested and charged with second-degree murder. At a preliminary hearing on June 9, 2016, Maui Judge Blaine Kobayashi found no probable cause and ordered her released, ruling that prosecutors had not produced enough evidence of intentional killing.¹⁰¹¹

In October 2016, a Maui grand jury indicted her on the same charge. On November 11, 2016, New York State Police located Alexandria at a residence in Albany; police said she attempted to flee before being taken into custody.² On December 9, 2016, she waived extradition and was returned to Maui.¹²

The Bench Trial

Alexandria requested a bench trial, meaning Judge Peter Cahill decided the case without a jury.¹ The trial began January 29, 2018, and lasted four days. She did not testify.¹³

What the Prosecution Argued

Maui deputy prosecuting attorney Emlyn Higa argued Alexandria “intentionally or knowingly” drove the SUV off the cliff. He presented data from the vehicle’s airbag control module showing hard acceleration, a hard left turn, and no braking before impact.¹⁴ Police officer Lawerence Siville testified that road marks were consistent with a sharp left turn under hard acceleration.⁸

Federico Bailey, Anastasia’s boyfriend, testified that the twins fought “quite often” and “fought like men,” and that the night before the crash they had a physical fight during a camping trip because Anastasia was upset Alexandria had joined them uninvited.⁸ Bailey also described Alexandria’s behavior after the crash: she put on Anastasia’s clothing, began “cuddling up” to him, and seemed to enjoy asking him to accompany her to identify her sister’s body.¹⁵

What the Defense Argued

Defense attorney Birney Bervar called the crash a “tragic accident.”¹⁴⁸¹³

Why the Judge Acquitted

Judge Cahill identified the clumps of hair found in Anastasia’s hands as “the most dramatic” piece of evidence. He said it was “reasonable to conclude” that Anastasia’s continued fighting caused Alexandria to lose control of the vehicle, and that the prosecution had failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Alexandria acted with the criminal intent second-degree murder requires. In his own words, the cause of Anastasia’s death was her “continuing to fight her sister, which caused Alexandria to lose control of vehicle and go over the cliff.”¹¹³

Maui County Prosecuting Attorney J.D. Kim said he was disappointed with the outcome, telling reporters, “The facts clearly show it was at least reckless behavior.”¹⁶ No appeal of the acquittal has been reported.

1
The Maui News. Duval Found Not Guilty of Murder in Death of Twin Sister in Crash Outside Hana
2
CBS News. Murder Charges Re-Filed Against Hawaii Woman in Twin’s SUV Cliff Plunge Death
3
Palm Beach Post. Former Yoga Studio Owner in Hawaii Cliff Crash
4
Fox 4 News. Twin Sisters’ Bickering Relationship Ends in Deadly Crash
5
Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Prosecutor: Twin Charged With Murder in Sister’s Death Was Trying to Flee
6
New York Post. How Glitz-Loving Cliff-Crash Twins Turned Into a Thelma and Louise
7
The Maui News. Witnesses Describe Twins Fighting in Vehicle Before It Goes Over Cliff
8
ABC News. Trial to End for Woman Accused of Killing Twin Sister
9
New York Post. Woman Accused of Killing Twin Pretended to Be Her: Boyfriend
10
ABC News. Hawaii Woman Accused of Killing Twin Released by Judge
11
NBC News. Murder Charge Dropped Against Woman Accused of Killing Twin
12
Good Morning America. Surviving Twin Waives Extradition to Hawaii for Sister’s Death
13
Maui Now. Alexandria Duval Murder Trial Verdict
14
ABC News. Woman Accused of Killing Twin Sister by Driving Off Hawaii Cliff
15
People. Alexandria Duval Trial: Twin Wore Dead Sister’s Clothing
16
NPR. Hawaii Judge Finds Woman Not Guilty of Driving Off a Cliff and Killing Her Twin