GROSSE POINTE (WWJ) A Grosse Pointe teen, charged in a car crash that killed another young man, pled guilty to Manslaughter With a Motor Vehicle, according to prosecutors.
Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said the 2023 car crash claimed the life of 18-year-old Flynn Mackrell, also of Grosse Pointe.
The defendant's guilty plea carries an adult designation, prosecutors said.
According to prosecutors; on November 17, 2023, Grosse Pointe Farms officers responded to a tree-lined neighborhood at Moran and Ridge roads, in the area of Kercheval and Kerby, for a single-vehicle crash. Officers found the defendant in the driver’s seat, and Mackrell unresponsive in the passenger’s seat.
Both were wearing their seatbelts, prosecutors said.
Prosecutors allege the defendant was driving at a “high rate of speed” when he lost control of the car, struck a utility pole and a tree. Medics pronounced Mackrell dead at the scene.
The defendant was charged with Second Degree Murder. He was given a $10,000 cash/surety bond.
“The evidence in this case will show that the defendant was driving in a residential neighborhood at speeds that rival Michigan freeways. Sadly, Mr. Mackrell lost his life as a result,” Worthy said. “We know that the rules of the road exist for a reason. Speed kills. Driving 25 in a residential neighborhood is mandated. Not a mere suggestion.”
He entered a guilty plea on Friday, February 28, to Manslaughter with a Motor Vehicle. The adult designation allows the judge to sentence him as a juvenile, as an adult, or to “fashion a blended sentence of imposing an adult sentence” if the defendant is not rehabilitated, prosecutors said.
Prosecutors have not released the defendant's name due to his juvenile status.
His sentencing is slated for June 6.