‘Random’ Hit-And-Run Turns Out Not To Be So ‘Random,’ Four Charged With 16-Year-Old Girl’s Death
It was initially thought to be a random hit-and-run accident, but the Cary Police Department has determined otherwise. Now, four suspects are facing murder charges for the death of a 16-year-old girl. According to WRAL, the four suspects — identified as Jourdan Chanquion Mack, 20, Beth Strange, 18, Abijah James Masse, and Joshua Odell Simmons, both 17, have been charged with the murder of Katherine Burdick-Crow. Initial reports claimed the Green Hope High School student was just a pedestrian, but apparently that wasn’t the case.
The charges follow the release of a 911 call from a witness. According to the police report, released via ABC-11, the unnamed witness initially thought Burdick-Crow had just fallen off a vehicle. However, the series of events that occurred prior to the hit-and-run have led to the murder charges that have been filed against the suspects.
“Apparently, she was on a car and fell off and a gentleman is here with blood all over his face. He is acting very strange. He said not to call the police but I am calling you cause this girl, I don’t feel a pulse or anything, so someone needs to get here very quickly,” reports the caller.
It has been reported that Burdick-Crow fell off of a 2003 Ford F-150 pickup. Authorities later discovered that the vehicle was driven by Simmons. The entire incident is reportedly the result of a “botched drug transaction” that took place on the night of Friday, June 25, where Burdick-Crow was reportedly robbed by the suspects.
UPDATE: Booking photos released in Cary hit-and-run that left high school student dead http://t.co/4Md1QYhIC0 pic.twitter.com/dEHWY8eZEk
— ABC11 EyewitnessNews (@ABC11_WTVD) June 28, 2015
A physical altercation ensued, and Burdick Crow fell from the truck as Simmons drove off with the other three suspects in an effort to flee the scene of the crime. She was taken to a nearby medical center, where she later died. The four suspects have now been arrested, and the vehicle is currently being processed.
On Sunday, June 27, Cary Police Capt. Randall Rhyne released a statement about the disheartening incident.
“This is a terrible tragedy for all families involved,” Rhyne said. “With around-the-clock joint efforts by our Traffic Safety Team and Criminal Investigations Division, we hope that being able to wrap this up somewhat relatively quickly will help start the healing process for them and our community.”
Investigators with the Cary Police Department are asking anyone with details about the circumstances surrounding Katherine Burdick-Crow’s death to please contact the department at 919-469-4012 or call Crime Stoppers at 919-460-4636.
[Image via Facebook]
