Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
New York Post
3 teens charged in murder of Ohio single mom hit by own SUV during carjacking
By David Propper,
2024-07-25
Three teenagers were arrested Wednesday in the murder of the Ohio single mom who was struck by her own SUV when she tried to stop a carjacking as her young son sat in the backseat, cops said.
One of the suspects taken into custody by police was 16-year-old Ray-Yon Hawkins, who allegedly admitted to striking Alexa Stakely with the Honda in a panic after he tried to steal her ride with a couple of buddies earlier this month, authorities said.
Stakely, 29, smashed her head on the pavement after she was hit as the group of friends ditched the car a short distance away and fled on foot, Columbus police said.
“As his two friends watched, Hawkins got into Stakely’s vehicle and was about to drive off when Stakely appeared in front of the Honda. Hawkins stated he panicked and began to drive off, striking Stakely with her own vehicle.”
Two other teenage boys, ages 17 and 19, were also arrested and charged with murder, according to police and a report in the Columbus Dispatch .
The 17-year-old boy’s name has not been released, but cops said he admitted to being present during the attempted theft of Stakely’s SUV, police said.
The 19-year-old suspect, identified as Gerald Dowling, surrendered to cops Wednesday night, the Dispatch reported.
Leading up to Wednesday’s arrests, authorities released images of the suspects they were seeking.
Authorities previously said Stakely placed her sleeping 6-year-old in the car, but quickly ran back into the baby-sitter’s home because she forgot an item. As the working mom returned to the car, she saw the SUV back out into the road and heard her child screaming.
After she was hit by the car, she was taken to a local hospital in critical condition and later died. Her young child was unharmed.
Stakely, who graduated from Ohio State University, worked as a speech and language pathologist at a local school district and had a second job as a waitress to support her small child.
For top headlines, breaking news and more, visit nypost.com.
Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency:
Our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. As a platform hosting over 100,000 pieces of content published daily, we cannot pre-vet content, but we strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation.
Comments / 0