Grosse Pointe Juvenile Respondent's Mother will not be Charged
Published on December 10, 2024
Grosse Pointe Farms, MI- On March 21, 2024, Prosecutor Kym Worthy charged a 17-year-old male, in connection with a car crash that killed Flynn Mackrell, 18, both of Grosse Pointe. On November 17, 2023, at approximately 9:05 p.m., Grosse Pointe Farms police officers were dispatched to the area of Ridge Road and Moran Road for a single vehicle crash. Upon their arrival, officers located the juvenile respondent belted into the driver's seat and the victim unresponsive, belted into the passenger seat. Medics arrived on the scene and pronounced Mr. Mackrell deceased.
It is alleged that the juvenile respondent was driving at a high rate of speed in a residential area when he lost control of the vehicle and left the roadway, striking a utility pole and a tree, fatally wounding Mr. Mackrell. The respondent was charged with Second-Degree Murder. * He was not charged as an adult; he was adult designated. This means that upon conviction an adult designation allows the judge to have the option of sentencing the defendant as a juvenile, or as an adult, or to fashion a blended juvenile sentence with the option of imposing an adult sentence if the juvenile is not rehabilitated. He currently has a settlement conference on January 8, 2025, at 9:00 a.m. and a jury trial on February 3, 2025, both at 9:00 a.m., at the Criminal Justice Center before Judge Michael McClory.
After the respondent was charged, on July 25, 2024, the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office (WCPO) received a letter from the deceased victim's mother requesting that the respondent's mother be charged, alleging inaction and negligence on her part regarding her son's driving behavior. Prosecutor Worthy requested an investigation of the respondent's mother in connection with the fatal car crash from the Grosse Pointe Farms Police Department.** On August 15, 2024, a warrant request was presented to WCPO, an extensive review of records, and evidence over a period from 2018 until 2023 was conducted. This was done to get a full picture of the relevant facts and evidence pertaining to the mother's conduct relating to the respondent over a period of years leading up to the fatal car crash.
A panel of experienced assistant prosecutors reviewed this matter. Because the respondent is currently awaiting a trial, WCPO must be mindful of the fact that the respondent is guaranteed the right to a fair trial and therefore are limited in the facts that can be disclosed at this time.
As a result of the review, WCPO has found that the respondent's mother has consistently taken reasonable measures to assert parental control over her son over the years as it relates to his general behavior and his driving leading up to the fatal car crash. The warrant request is denied for insufficient evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that any crime has been committed by the respondent's mother.
Statement of Prosecutor Kym Worthy
"We have spent a significant amount of time discussing this case and have looked at all of the applicable law. We looked at police reports and other documents. We are confident that the facts and evidence will prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the juvenile respondent committed the offenses that we have charged.
"Parenting is hard in the best of circumstances. Most parents do everything they can to mentor their children and steer them in the right direction. The juvenile respondent's mother was no different. She took consistent, active steps to try to make sure that he stayed on the right path. There will be those that say she should have done more, but we have looked at all of the facts and those facts dictate no criminal charges here. We will not be more specific about her actions because her son will be facing trial in February.
"She was not directly or indirectly involved in any way in the offenses for which we have charged her son. Despite his mother's attempts, it is our firm position that the respondent and the respondent only is directly responsible for the crimes that we have adult designated and charged him with," said Prosecutor Kym Worthy.
* The charges are allegations and defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
**It is the policy of WCPO not to release the name of a person who has not been charged with a crime.
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Grosse Pointe Juvenile Respondent's Mother will not be Charged in Fatal Car Crash(PDF, 117KB)