(WXYZ) — A Virginia man is facing murder charges in connection with a deadly crash that killed two adults and two kids in northern Oakland County last week.
Watch Randy Wimbley's video report:
The Oakland County Prosecutor's Office charged Charles Dean Pace, 27, with four counts of second-degree murder and four counts of operating while intoxicated causing death.
He was arraigned on those charges Tuesday and remanded to jail.
You can watch the arraignment in the video below
During the arraignment, lawyers said that Pace had previously been in a rehab facility. He also told attorneys that he was in Michigan for work and was set to return to Virginia two days after the crash. According to prosecutors, he has a previous alcohol-related offense.
Prosecutors say that on July 1, Pace was driving a Ford F-250 pickup truck southbound on I-75 near E. Holly Rd. in Springfield Township at speeds more than 90 mph while weaving in and out of lanes.
Officials say that Pace's vehicle struck a Chrysler 300 that was disabled on the south side of the road. The crash killed Tieree Powell,, 24, his 23-year-old girlfriend, Zakiera Dodson, and their two young children — 3-year-old Malani and 2-year-old Karter Powell
A Michigan State Police report said the suspect had a blood alcohol level more than three times the legal limit.
"He was taken away too soon. Everybody was, you know, my nieces, my nephews, his girlfriend, you know, they deserve justice, and hopefully the legal system don't fail them," Tieree Powell's brother, Devrionta, said.
“Zakeria, Tieree, Nalani and Karter did not die in an accident,” Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald said in a statement. “They were murdered because of this defendant’s alleged choices — to drive drunk, to drive fast and to drive recklessly — that created an obvious and unnecessary danger. “This is a rare charge, but we believe we can show the most extreme indifference to human life.”
Watch our report after the crash in the video below
Patricia Powell, Tieree's great-aunt, said she has been overcome with grief since learning of the crash.
"I'm just hurting. That's why I got these glasses. I've been crying ever since this morning." A GoFundMe has been started for the family.
Powell has a message for the suspected at-fault driver.
"You destroyed a family that was loved. He had a family, he was loved and those babies, they didn't even get a chance to have a family or to grow up and and to do the things that they wanted to do in life. I want him to pay for what he done to my nephew and my great nieces and stuff. I want him to pay for that because that wasn't fair."
"Drinking and driving does not just shatter lives, it shatters families. Behind every drunk driving tragedy is a family forever changed. Drive sober. Every family deserves to make it home," Devrionta said.
