WAPELLO — A Fairfield man accused of second-degree murder after being involved in a fatal traffic collision will be tried by jury beginning Oct. 19.
According to court documents, Derrick Cook Maynard, 36, pleaded not guilty to the murder charge and demanded his right to a speedy trial. Maynard has posted $150,000 bond. A pretrial conference is scheduled for Oct. 1.
According to police reports, at about 7:55 p.m. on May 18, 2020, Maynard was driving a 2019 Ford F650 U-Haul at Elm Street and Third Street in Columbus Junction while his girlfriend Megan Reid, 29, of Fairfield, followed in a 2006 Chevy Cobalt. Steven Scotton of Fairfield was a passenger in the Cobalt. According to the Iowa State patrol, the truck was southbound on Third Street and made a U-turn, striking the car. Louisa County Sheriff’s Office, Louisa County Ambulance, and the Columbus Junction Fire Department responded.
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Reid and Scotton were taken by Louisa County EMS to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City where Reid died from her injuries.
According to court documents, the prosecution alleges that Maynard killed Reid with malice aforethought.
“The investigation of this case revealed that on or about the date, time and place specified above, defendant intentionally collided a 26-foot U-Haul rental truck he was driving into a passenger vehicle driven by his girlfriend Megan Reid, who subsequently died as a result of injuries she sustained in the collision,” the documents read.
According to the narrative of the incident, Scotton reported that Maynard and Reid had been arguing on the phone right before the crash and that just prior to the crash Maynard had allegedly said he had insurance on the vehicle. Phone records obtained during the investigation confirmed Maynard and Reid had been arguing on the day of and immediately prior to the accident and that Maynard was angry with Reid. The investigation also determined that Maynard intensely disliked Scotton.
In an email to the Muscatine Journal, Scotton claims when Maynard topped the hill, the car was sideways doing a three point turn. He alleges Maynard “stomped on the gas and hit us broadside.” According to the emails, the car was pushed 25 yards and there were no skid marks on the scene.
At the time of the collision, Reid’s vehicle was slowly turning in the roadway perpendicular to the direction the U-Haul was travelling, the report said. It also says data recovered from the U-Haul’s ancillary translator module revealed the U-Haul truck’s accelerator pedal was fully depressed immediately prior to impact and no manual braking was applied. The U-Haul struck the car broadside in the driver-side door at approximately 30 mph.
If convicted of second-degree murder Maynard could face up to 50 years in prison.