A North Carolina teenager initially charged with drunk driving now faces murder charges after police said he drove “carelessly and recklessly” before fatally striking another teen on a bicycle.
Ashton Rahlfs, 16, had already been charged with driving while impaired and driving while consuming alcohol under 21 in connection with an Oct. 26 crash that killed 14-year-old Max Dunham and seriously injured 20-year-old Brandon Russell. Nearly a month later, a grand jury indicted him on second-degree murder, death by vehicle, and serious injury by vehicle.
Investigators said Rahlfs had only a learner’s permit, not a full driver’s license, and was both speeding and intoxicated when the crashes occurred.
According to Holly Springs Police, Rahlfs was driving a Honda Passport around 1:40 a.m. when he hit Dunham, who was riding his bike. After that collision, police said Rahlfs kept driving, crossed the road, and slammed head-on into Russell’s Honda Civic, trapping Russell until firefighters freed him. Russell remains hospitalized with serious injuries. Dunham died at the scene.
WTVD interviewed neighbor Lynwood Montague, who lives just steps from the crash site and called 911 after hearing “this loud crash” while watching TV. “I got up, went outside and was looking around, and all of a sudden I heard the worst screaming I have ever heard, and moaning. And I just knew it was bad,” he told the station.
Court documents obtained by WRAL said two other teenagers were inside Rahlfs’ SUV at the time. Police reported finding several cans of Twisted Tea inside the vehicle, some opened and some unopened. Rahlfs allegedly had a blood alcohol level of 0.11 after the crash and was driving more than twice the posted 35 mph speed limit.
Police said Rahlfs had been “driving carelessly and recklessly for a significant time before the crash.”
Rahlfs now faces charges including second-degree murder, death by vehicle, serious injury by vehicle, driving while impaired, driving after consuming alcohol under 21, violating the terms of his permit, and other misdemeanors. He remains in custody at the Wake County Jail without bond. His next court date is Dec. 1.
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