OAKLAND COUNTY, Michigan — A family of four who pulled over on a Michigan interstate after their car broke down never made it home. A drunk driver doing over 90 mph ended all four of their lives in an instant.
Charles Dean Pace, 27, now faces four counts of second-degree murder and four counts of operating while intoxicated causing death.
What Happened on I-75
The victims — 23-year-old Zakeria Sharon Dodson, 24-year-old Tieree Powell, and their two young children, 3-year-old Nalani and 2-year-old Karter — had spent the day taking their kids to go swimming.
On the way home, their Chrysler 300 became disabled. They pulled it to the side of I-75 near East Holly Road.
Pace was driving a Ford F-250 southbound at more than 90 mph, allegedly weaving in and out of lanes. He plowed directly into the stopped car. All four family members were killed.
Michigan State Police responded and found Pace with a blood alcohol level more than three times the legal limit.
“They Were Murdered”
Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald did not mince words.
“Zakeria, Tieree, Nalani and Karter did not die in an accident,” she said. “They were murdered because of this defendant’s alleged choices — to drive drunk, to drive fast, and to drive recklessly.”
Second-degree murder charges in vehicular homicide cases are rare. Prosecutors say they can prove Pace showed “extreme indifference to human life.”
If convicted, he faces life in prison.
Tieree was remembered as a devoted father whose greatest joy was his children. Zakeria was described as a loving, nurturing mother who gave everything to her family.
They were just trying to get home.
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