(USNewsBreak.com) – In the early morning hours of July 11, 29-year-old Alexa Stakely finished up a waitressing shift and picked up her young son from the babysitter. She forgot something at the sitter’s house and ran to pick it up from the doorway when three suspects jumped in her vehicle and attempted to steal it. Stakely tried to stop them, but they struck her with the SUV. The impact caused her to smash her head on the pavement; she died hours later. Three teens have now been charged in connection with the crime.
On Wednesday, July 24, 16-year-old Ray-Yon Hawkins went to the police department with his parents and turned himself in. Authorities arrested and charged him with murder. According to a statement, the teen told the cops “that he and two acquaintances were looking for a vehicle to steal when they saw Stakely’s Honda.” He was allegedly the driver and when the frantic mom jumped in front of the car, he panicked and tried to take off, striking her.
3 charged with murder of Ohio woman who tried to rescue her 6-year-old son from carjacking https://t.co/8J8slj6iXx
— ABC7 Eyewitness News (@ABC7) July 25, 2024
The police arrested two other suspects in the crime, too. They picked up an unnamed 17-year-old, but 19-year-old Gerald Dowling surrendered to them on Wednesday evening. Both admitted to being in the vehicle.
The 6-year-old boy remained unharmed. Hawkins, Dowling, and the third suspect ditched the car a short distance away from where they allegedly stole it and proceeded to run away on foot. The boy is now in Stakely’s family’s care.
Due to the charges against them, the three suspects will remain in custody. The two younger teens have been charged in juvenile court, but could be tried as adults if a judge finds probable cause. They have all had their first hearings and remain behind bars. Dowling’s bond is $10 million. The two younger suspects are currently in the Juvenile Intervention Center with a hearing scheduled for July 29.
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