Lyle Eric Norbert, 41, wearing a white jail jumpsuit, shielded his face from news cameras as he appeared before Alameda County Superior Court Judge Jennie Rhine in Berkeley.

Norbert, a convicted drunken driver whose license has been suspended six times, was arraigned on charges of murder, felony evading arrest with wanton disregard for safety and felony hit-and-run in the death early Wednesday of Theodore Abraham Resnick, 33, of San Francisco.

Authorities said Norbert, driving a rented 2001 Pontiac Bonneville, was drunk when he refused to pull over to CHP officers in El Cerrito at 1 a.m. and slammed the car into Resnick's 1998 Dodge Neon as Resnick made a left turn at San Pablo and Ashby avenues in Berkeley.

Resnick, a senior marketing manager at Women.com in San Mateo, died instantly, authorities said.

Norbert was also charged yesterday with possession of marijuana and possession of marijuana for sale after CHP officers found the drug in his car, authorities said.

If convicted, Norbert could face a longer sentence because of three previous felony convictions, two for drugs and one for gun possession. He also failed to appear in court on a previous case, records show.

Norbert, who was ordered held without bail, will return to court on March 28. Before leaving the courtroom yesterday, Norbert glanced at his son and several supporters. They declined to comment after the hearing.

Norbert's longtime attorney, Pam Herzig of San Francisco, said, "His No. 1 concern is Mr. Resnick's family. That's all he's thinking about."

E-mail Henry K. Lee at hlee@sfchronicle.com.

This article appeared on page A - 17 of the San Francisco Chronicle