Drunk Ohio woman who 'intentionally' drove into and killed family was upset over her husband filing for divorce
A 21-year-old woman from Warren County, Ohio, accused of deliberately driving into traffic while drunk and killing a family, reportedly committed the crime because she was upset over her husband filing for divorce, according to reports.
The woman, identified as Abby Michaels, was indicted on July 18 and charged in connection with the deaths of Timmy Thompson, his wife Karen Thompson, and their 10-year-old daughter, Tessa Thompson. Timmy and his daughter Tessa died at the scene, while Karen was transported to Kettering Memorial Hospital where she succumbed to her injuries.
According to Montgomery County Prosecutor Mathias Heck Jr, Michaels has been charged with six counts of murder, six counts of aggregated vehicular homicide and one count of operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol.
Michaels, at the time of the crash, was allegedly "wearing a festive St. Patrick’s Day shirt,” and had beer coming out of her mouth, according to a police report. The crash was initially being investigated as vehicular manslaughter but authorities have now found evidence which has led them to believe that the crash was intentional, People reported.
Heck, at a press conference on Tuesday, said: "This tragedy could have easily been avoided. This defendant was upset and decided to take the action that she did. As a result, evidence showed this defendant knew what she was doing and what she wanted to accomplish. Unfortunately, what she accomplished was wiping out and murdering his family.”
When he was asked by reporters why Michaels was upset, Heck responded saying it was "personal matter" and refused to go into details.
A newly-released police statement has stated that Michael's husband, who had filed for divorce two days before the crash, had said that his wife had called him at 8 pm at the night of the crash, asking him to come over. He added that he could tell "she had been drinking," and said no to her request. Michaels reportedly became upset, and allegedly told her husband: "I'm gonna kill myself," according to WLWT reports.
Shortly after the conversation, Michaels called him back and allegedly said: "I'm going to drive backwards on 75." Just minutes after that Michael's car crashed at 8:10 pm.
The prosecutor said that Michaels being under the influence was not a contributing factor to the Thompson family's deaths and that she allegedly accelerated into the family's car.
A witness reportedly told authorities that he was driving towards north on 1-75 when a white sedan passed him in the left lane and then pulled into the U-turn area of the median. "[The witness] stated the car then pulled into the middle of oncoming traffic and within 10-15 seconds hit another car head-on," a police report stated.
While another witness said that she saw a "white car cross the median and begin traveling northbound in the southbound. She said the car didn’t appear to be slowing down."
Michaels, who was hospitalized after the crash, continues to remain in Montgomery County Jail. If convicted, the 21-year-old is likely to face life imprisonment.