A 19-year-old man and two juveniles suspected in a botched carjacking that led to the death of an Ohio woman were in custody Wednesday on murder charges, police said.
Alexa Stakely, 29, saw her SUV being stolen on July 11 with her 6-year-old son sleeping inside and was struck by the vehicle while trying to save the child, according to the Columbus Division of Police.
A 16-year-old suspect told police he entered Stakely’s vehicle “and was about to drive off when Stakely appeared in front of the Honda,” according to an arrest report. The suspect says he “panicked” and drove off, hitting the victim, the report said.
Stakely’s son was found unharmed in the vehicle, which had been abandoned near where Stakely was struck. Stakely had briefly left the boy in the vehicle with the engine running to retrieve the child’s belongings from his babysitter, police said.
The driver turned himself in Wednesday, accompanied by his parents. “It’s my understanding that his parents and his conscience got to him a little bit,” Sgt. Joe Albert told CNN affiliate WBNS.
Another 16-year-old was connected to the car theft and arrested, as was Gerald Dowling, 19.
Dowling’s jail record indicated he was scheduled for a first court hearing Thursday, but did not list an attorney. Court information for the 16-year-old suspects was not immediately available because they are juveniles.
Although only one suspect was in the car at the time Stakely was hit, Albert told WBNS they are all equally responsible for her death under the law.
“Since they were there as part of the motor vehicle theft, and unfortunately Ms. Stakely died as a result of that motor vehicle theft,” Albert said, “they all get charged with murder.”
Stakely was a speech-language pathologist at Winchester Trail Elementary, according to a social media post from Canal Winchester Schools.
Canal Winchester Schools, with whom Stakely had been employed for five years, described her in a Facebook post as “a great mom who was incredibly dedicated to her son.”
The post continued: “Ms. Stakely made a difference in the lives of the students and families she worked with and will be missed by so many in our community and beyond.”
