Woman charged with murder, assault in Maplewood hit-and-run
UPDATE (Sept. 9, 2024): Ashley Couch pleaded not guilty to all charges on Sept. 9. Her next court date has yet to be scheduled.
MAPLEWOOD, Minn. — A St. Paul woman faces murder and assault charges in connection with a hit-and-run in Maplewood that left one woman dead and another injured.
Ashley Couch was charged Friday with second-degree murder and second-degree assault, court records show.
Two groups of people agreed to meet at the intersection of Larpenteur Avenue East and Dieter Street North for a fight Wednesday night after another altercation earlier in the day, a criminal complaint states. Couch was associated with one group, while the victims of the hit-and-run were part of the other.
According to the complaint, the two victims were standing outside a car in the intersection when a driver in a Dodge Charger turned onto Larpenteur, hit the car and continued driving. The surviving victim was thrown into the air.
The other victim, identified later as 23-year-old Zakirrah Anderson, "had catastrophic injuries to her body, that appeared to match up with being dragged under a vehicle for an extended distance," investigators said. She died shortly after arriving at Regions Hospital.
Police arrested Couch Thursday after "a concerned citizen" called Maplewood police and identified her as the suspect, the complaint states. The caller also said Couch hid the vehicle. St. Paul police found the vehicle in an alley, with significant damage.
"The officer on scene also noted that it appeared the driver of the vehicle had intentionally tried to hide it as the rear license plate had been removed and there were trash cans that appeared to have been placed in front of it in an effort to conceal it from public view," the complaint states.
Couch initially denied involvement. After being shown video of the hit-and-run, Couch denied intentionally hitting anyone, a criminal complaint states.
Couch has multiple previous convictions for crimes of violence and threats, according to court records. She is in custody and set to appear in court Monday morning.
