Authorities have charged 22-year-old active-duty Marine Malik Jeremiah Thomas with two counts of aggravated manslaughter. Virginia State Police said Thomas drove under the influence and crashed into a family’s SUV on Interstate 95 in Stafford County on Friday. The crash killed a mother and her young child.
Thomas, of Fredericksburg, was initially arrested on a DUI charge before prosecutors upgraded the case later Friday. Thomas was not injured in the collision. Stafford Commonwealth’s Attorney Eric Olsen announced that Thomas now faces two counts of aggravated manslaughter, with each charge carrying a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison if convicted. The collision occurred at about 1:53 am Friday near mile marker 141 on northbound Interstate 95 in Stafford County, according to Virginia State Police. The fatal collision shut down all northbound travel lanes on Interstate 95 for several hours Friday morning as emergency crews responded and investigators documented the scene.
Investigators said a Dodge Charger driven by Thomas was traveling at a high rate of speed when it struck the rear of a Nissan Rogue carrying a Stafford family. Three passengers riding in his vehicle suffered minor injuries, police said.
