An Illinois woman allegedly drove her SUV straight into a semitruck in an attempt to kill herself, her mother and her teenage son, leaving the 73-year-old mother dead and the boy injured in a collision that investigators say was no accident.
Jamie Rhode, 47, is accused of turning a July 24 drive with her family into a deadly encounter on U.S. Route 54 near Atlas Hill.
Her mother, Cherie K. Wells of Pittsfield, lost her life after the Toyota RAV4 collided head-on with a truck hauling a trailer. Rhode and her son survived, as did the truck’s uninjured driver.
Pike County Sheriff David Greenwood attributed the alleged murder-suicide attempt to Rhode’s fear of ending her own life without taking her family with her.
“Her plan was to kill all three of them,” Greenwood commented to People magazine. “Her plan was to kill herself, and she was afraid of dying alone.”
Wells had been collected from a nursing home shortly before the collision, Greenwood revealed, placing the mother, daughter and grandson together in the SUV for what became their final trip as a family.
On October 20, the Pike County Sheriff’s Office publicly accused Rhode, a Griggsville resident, of purposely steering into the tractor-trailer with the intention of killing herself and both passengers.
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The allegation followed an investigation into the July 24 collision, which authorities determined had been deliberately caused rather than resulting from an accidental encounter between the vehicles.
Medical teams treated the three occupants at separate hospitals. Wells succumbed to her injuries, while Rhode and her teenage son survived the wreck.
The investigation led to Rhode’s arrest Tuesday on murder and attempted murder charges. She was subsequently held at the Pike County Jail.
A Utah homicide prosecution involving another motorist has focused on cellphone activity recorded shortly before a fatal freeway collision.
Christine Chao, 44, of Rosemead in Los Angeles County, allegedly visited a website associated with pornographic videos less than two minutes before her car struck traffic along Interstate 15.
The June 12 collision occurred south of Salt Lake City, where construction had slowed vehicles traveling through the area.
Chao was operating a blue Toyota Matrix when it hit a Mazda 3, pushing that vehicle into a Buick Enclave ahead, prosecutors contend.
One passenger in the Mazda suffered critical injuries and later died.
The investigation uncovered no tire marks indicating an attempt to brake, according to court records described by the Los Angeles Times. Chao also acknowledged to officers that she had caused the collision, the newspaper reported.
A visit to xvideos.com was recorded on Chao’s phone less than two minutes before the approximately 2 p.m. crash, according to charging documents cited by KSL-TV.
Investigators discovered the activity after obtaining a warrant to examine the device. The website is associated with pornographic videos, although the available records do not establish whether Chao was watching any particular content or looking at her phone when the vehicles collided.
The case resulted in a second-degree felony automobile homicide charge against Chao on Tuesday.
She was not taken into custody at the crash location, Utah Highway Patrol spokesperson Zachary Randall confirmed to the Times. Prosecutors identified November 17 as her next scheduled appearance in court.
Excessive speed, rather than alleged cellphone activity, is at the heart of another fatal driving case involving two recent college graduates in Texas.
Julian Harris, 23, and Madison Duren, 22, died after their Toyota Prius was struck by a Hyundai Elantra allegedly traveling at 82 mph through a 35 mph zone.
The Hyundai’s driver, 22-year-old Aldrea Rogers, had her two young children riding with her when the collision occurred.
FOX 4 Dallas obtained details from an arrest affidavit identifying Rogers’ alleged speed as a key finding in the investigation.
Harris died at the scene, while Duren was hospitalized with injuries that subsequently claimed her life.
Investigators determined that Harris had been driving the Prius with Duren in the passenger seat and was attempting a left turn onto a major roadway when Rogers’ Hyundai struck their vehicle.
Both victims had recently graduated from Southern Methodist University and shared an enthusiasm for theater.
Rogers and her children survived the collision.
Prosecutors charged Rogers with two counts of manslaughter, one for each death.
Dallas County Jail records identify October 16 as Rogers’ booking date. By Wednesday afternoon, her bond was listed at $500,000, reflecting $250,000 for each manslaughter charge.
An entirely different detail attracted attention following the DUI arrest of a 19-year-old motorist in California.
Photographs released by the California Highway Patrol’s Monterey-area office showed the young suspect wearing a T-shirt whose message directly contradicted the agency’s instructions about driving sober.
The CHP used its Facebook post to caution younger drivers against drinking before taking the wheel.
“If you’re under 21, the message is simple: Don’t drink, and always stay sober behind the wheel,” the agency advised.
Officers also cautioned that driving while impaired endangers other people and can produce lasting consequences from a single decision.
The T-shirt pictured in the agency’s photographs carried a decidedly different message.
“This is no time to be sober,” it read.
