Inset: Travion Twon-Deangelo Smith (Macomb County Prosecutor”s Office). Background: The intersection where Smith caused a fatal crash in Michigan (Google Maps).
A Michigan man will spend several decades behind bars for killing a pregnant mother and her unborn child during a high-speed chase where he tried to evade police over a misdemeanor violation.
In July, Travion Twon-Deangelo Smith, 18, was found guilty by a Macomb County jury on one count each of murder in the second degree, gross negligence causing the death of a fetus, and fleeing and eluding – as well as two counts of reckless driving causing serious injury for the August 2023 deaths of Faith Gumma and her unborn baby.
On Tuesday, Smith was sentenced to between 25 and 50 years in state prison by 16th Circuit Court Judge James Biernat.
And, through the defendant’s defiant allocution and the prosecutor’s chiding response, courtroom dramatics ran high.
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“I was 16 when this terrible accident occurred,” Smith said during the hearing, according to a courtroom report by The Detroit News. “I was scared, your honor, and I didn’t understand what happened that day. I truly don’t understand why they followed me in the first place. I am not a murderer of any kind.”
On Aug. 12, 2023, officers with the Sterling Heights Police Department cited two distinct reasons why they wanted to pull Smith over at around 9:30 p.m. on the night in question.
“They observed this tan Equinox driving down 15 Mile in the right lane with its left turn signal on, not changing lanes or anything,” Lt. Mario Bastianelli said at the time of the incident. “It was a common sign that someone may have been under the influence or something. We get behind the vehicle and run the license plate. The vehicle came back with no insurance, which is a misdemeanor.”
However, Smith fled in the Equinox, reaching 93 mph. Then, at the intersection of 16 Mile and Van Dyke Avenue, Smith ran a red light with fatal and life-altering effects.
Along with the death of the 31-year-old expectant mother, her husband, Norman Gumma, 36, and their 2-year-old were both severely injured. Smith was uninjured in the crash. Ultimately, the boy recovered; Norman Gumma remains paralyzed to this day.
“This jury verdict reminds us all that every choice we make carries consequences that go far beyond the moment,” Macomb County Prosecutor Peter J. Lucido said after the verdict in a press release. “This young man’s decision to flee from a routine traffic stop has left an overwhelming loss. His actions shattered a family, and eroded the community’s sense of security.
On Tuesday, Macomb County Assistant Prosecutor Steve Fox challenged Smith’s denial of responsibility.
“He says he is not a murderer,” Fox reportedly said, according to the News. “I have news for you, sir, you are. Your conduct killed a woman and her unborn child. You are a murderer.”
Smith, for his part, also apologized to the family. The prosecutor seized on that portion of the defendant’s soliloquy as well.
“He can’t even make it through a statement to the family, he can’t even express his condolences without immediately turning it into himself,” Fox said, according to a courtroom report by Detroit-based NBC affiliate WDIV.
After hearing from Smith and the prosecutor, the judge remarked on the surviving father’s quality of life, calling his complete paralysis and inability to speak “a fate worse than death.”
“Going back to that night, you had no drugs in your car, you had no guns in your car,” Biernat said, addressing the defendant. “You didn’t even know the car has no insurance. You would’ve been pulled over and ticketed for no insurance on your car. That’s all.”
Then the judge’s pleading voice took on tones of pathos and anger: “You literally wiped out a family. All you had to do was stop.”
