A 26-year-old man from Dallas has been charged with the murder of a woman after he stole her car and crashed it. Darion Thomas, is charged with murder and theft.
Officers were alerted to the incident when they received a call reporting a major accident. Upon arriving the scene at 1300 Murdock Road around 12:50 a.m. on Sunday, officers found a woman lying in the street. The woman, identified as Karen Mariela, was pronounced dead at the scene shortly afterwards.
Woman killed in crash after being carjacked in Dallas https://t.co/7eXPX8bAjX
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Detectives determined that Mariela was asleep in the backseat of her car which was parked at a gas station when Thomas stole the vehicle. He sped off before losing control and hitting a pole.
The force of the car hitting a pole caused Mariela to be ejected from the back seat where she was sleeping.
Thomas also sustained some serious but non-life-threatening injuries. He was arrested and taken to a hospital for treatment of his wounds.
According to an arrest warrant affidavit, a witness who saw Thomas trying to crawl away from the crash site with his broken legs said the suspect had said he stole the car because he needed a ride to work. According to the witness, Thomas also asked for a gun to kill himself.
Per NBC 5 News, Dallas police have decided not to consider the theft a carjacking as the car was stolen when multiple people stopped at a business. They also made the decision based on the consideration that Mariela stayed in the backseat while the car was moving.
Speaking to the outlet, a witness said, “He was speeding so fast we could literally hear it. So when the car crashed, it was just the loudest sound ever. I said whoever was in the vehicle, are they okay? [My daughter] said no mom, there is a woman dead in the street.”
“I give my condolences to the family because it’s very emotional to just have your vehicle stolen, now your family member is deceased,” the witness added.