Background: The aftermath of a fatal crash can be seen on I-75 in Springfield Township, Mich. (WWJ/YouTube). Insets (from left to right): Zakeria Sharon Dodson, Tieree Powell, Nalani Powell, and Karter Powell (GoFundMe); Charles Dean Pace (Oakland County Sheriff”s Office).
A man is accused of speeding while drunk on a Michigan interstate and crashing into a family of four who were in a broken-down vehicle on the side of the road.
Charles Dean Pace, 27, faces four counts of second-degree murder in the deaths of 23-year-old Zakeria Sharon Dodson, 24-year-old Tieree Powell, 3-year-old Nalani Powell, and 2-year-old Karter Powell. Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald also announced that the defendant faces four counts of operating while intoxicated causing death.
On Wednesday, the family of four was driving a Chrysler 300 home on I-75 after “a day of taking their children on a swimming outing,” according to a GoFundMe set up for the family. Pace was on the interstate at the same time, says McDonald.
The defendant was allegedly driving a Ford F-250 southbound on the interstate near East Holly Road and speeding over 90 mph and “weaving in and out of lanes.” At some point, Dodson, Powell, and their two children pulled their Chrysler over as it was “disabled.”
Pace reportedly crashed into the sedan on the side of the road, killing all four family members. Michigan State Police officers responded and discovered that he apparently 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 in her announcement of the charges. “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.”
She noted that second-degree murder charges in cases concerning alleged vehicular homicide are rare “but not unprecedented.” McDonald added, “We believe we can show the most extreme indifference to human life.”
Pace faces life in prison if convicted of second-degree murder. He was scheduled to be arraigned on Tuesday.
The GoFundMe for the family remembers Powell as “a devoted father whose greatest joy was spending time with his children. He worked hard to provide for his family and was known for his love, dedication, and unwavering commitment to those he cherished.”
Dodson is said to have been a “loving and nurturing mother who devoted her life to raising her beautiful children with compassion, strength, and unconditional love.”
