A Virginia man is facing murder charges after he allegedly killed a Pontiac family of four, including two toddlers, while driving drunk on July 1.
Charles Dean Pace, 27, of Glen Allen, Virginia, is expected to be arraigned on Tuesday, July 7, on four counts of second-degree murder and four counts of operating while intoxicated causing death, in 52-2 District Court in Clarkston, Prosecutor Karen D. McDonald said in a press release.
Michigan State Police say Pace was driving a Ford F-250 truck southbound on Interstate 75 on July 1 near East Holly Road in Springfield Township, weaving in and out of lanes at speeds exceeding 90 mph when he struck a disabled vehicle. Inside were Zakeria Sharon Dodson, 23, Tieree Powell, 24, and their children, Nalani Powell, 3, and Karter Powell, 2. All four died.
Police said Pace had a blood alcohol level more than three times the legal limit.
“Zakeria, Tieree, Nalani and Karter did not die in an accident,” McDonald said. “They were murdered because of this defendant’s alleged choices – to drive drunk, to drive fast and to drive recklessly – that created an obvious and unnecessary danger. “This is a rare charge, but we believe we can show the most extreme indifference to human life.”
McDonald noted that second-degree murder charges for vehicular homicide are “rare, but not unprecedented.”
Angel Melendez-Ortiz was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 74 years in prison just over a year ago after he killed two people while driving the wrong way on the Lodge Freeway and fleeing police in January 2024, McDonald said.
She added that Marshella Chidester was also convicted of second-degree murder in an April 2024 drunk driving crash that killed two young children at the Swan Boat Club in Monroe County. Chidester was sentenced to 25-50 years in prison.
Second Degree Murder is punishable by any term of years in prison, up to life. Operating While Intoxicated Causing Death is punishable by up to 15 years in prison and/or a $10,000 fine.
Contact reporter Susan Bromley at sbromley@hometownlife.com
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Man facing rare murder charges in I-75 crash deaths of Pontiac family
Reporting by Susan Bromley, Hometownlife.com / Detroit Free Press
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By Susan Bromley, Hometownlife.com | USA TODAY Network
