VBT teen charged with murder after 2021 Belleville Road crash

A juvenile male, now 17, of Van Buren Township, has been charged with second-degree murder and reckless driving causing serious bodily injury in a Feb. 7, 2021 crash on Belleville Road.
He is charged with adult designation, which means if convicted the judge has the option to sentence him as a juvenile, or as an adult, or with a blended juvenile sentence with the option of imposing an adult sentence if he is not rehabilitated.
The car crash killed Chataya Jayana Thurman, 19, of Van Buren Township, and injured an 18-year-old Van Buren Township woman, a 56-year-old Ypsilanti woman, and a 51-year-old Ypsilanti man.
On Feb. 7, 2021, at approximately 6:30 p.m., Van Buren Township police officers were dispatched to the area of Belleville Road between Ecorse and Robson roads, for a reported head-on collision.
Upon their arrival,officers were advised that Ms. Thurman was unresponsive and trapped in the rear of the defendant’s vehicle. Medics arrived on scene and prounced her deceased. The juvenile and the remaining victims were transported to a local hospital for treatment.
Police said the 16 year old was driving a black Pontiac G6 south on Belleville Road when he lost control and crossed the center line.
The G6 went into the path of a Chevrolet Trailblazer heading north on Belleville Road, according to authorities. The Trailblazer, driven by a 51-year-old Ypsilanti resident, struck the G6 on the rear passenger side, officials said.
The teen driver was given a $10,000/10% bond and, if released on bond, is ordered to have no contact with the victims, no possession of weapons, and no illegal drug use. He appeared for a preliminary hearing at the Juvenile Detention Facility on March 16. A preliminary examination was scheduled for March 21 before Judge Edward Joseph.
The teen’s name will not be released because of his age.