Fenton Man Facing 5 Murder Charges In Fatal M-59 Crash
HOWELL (WWJ) - A 22-year-old Fenton man is facing murder and drunk driving charges related to an accident on M-59 near Howell that left five people dead.
The Livingston County Prosecutor has filed 19 charges against Matthew Carrier including five second-degree murder charges, which carry a maximum penalty of life in prison. He's expected to be arraigned Wednesday morning.
State Police investigators say Carrier was drunk when he ran through a stop sign on M-59 at Argentine Road in Oceola Township on May 9 and struck another vehicle. One car overturned; the other caught fire.
Among those killed were 35-year-old Oakland County resident Candice Dunn, who had just been named Michigan Department of Correction Parole-Probation Agent of the Year the night of the crash; Dunn's mother, 69-year-old Linda K. Hurley of Macomb County; and 73-year-old Jerome Tortomasi of Macomb County. Eighteen-year-old Justin Andrew-Humberto Henderson and 24-year-old Preston Wetzel, who were passengers in Carrier's vehicle, were also pronounced dead at the scene.
Carrier and one of his passengers, 23-year-old Kyle Eugene Lixie, along with the driver of the second driver, 39-year-old Albert Boswell of Oakland County, were critically injured in the crash.
Records provided by the Secretary of State's Office show that Carrier has an extensive record of driving-related issues, including citations, careless driving, speeding and drunken driving. A Secretary of State spokesman says Carrier's license was suspended at the time of the crash because of unpaid tickets.
Charges against Carrier include five counts of operating while intoxicated causing death, two counts of operating while intoxicated causing serious injury, five counts of driving while license suspended causing death, and two counts of driving while license suspended causing serious injury.
Under Michigan law, second degree murder applies to circumstances where someone commits an act with a high probability that it will result in death and does so in obvious disregard for human life.
Carrier remains in custody in the Livingston County Jail.