A 16-year-old suspect turned himself after admitting to his parents that he and two others attempted to steal an Ohio teacher’s car and run her over.
Alexa Stakely, 29, was stuck by the unidentified 16-year-old on July 11 after he panicked when she confronted the group in order to save her child in the backseat during the middle of the robbery, Columbus Police said.
Now, the 16-year-old who fatally struck the educator turned himself in, accompanied by his parents, after he admitted to them he had performed the crime.
‘It’s my understanding that his parents and his conscience got to him a little bit,’ Sergeant Joe Albert told WBNS. ‘We want to thank his parents…His parents immediately brought him down here to Columbus Police headquarters.’
Albert said the teen admitted to hitting Stakely after she ‘startled him and he panicked and drove away and struck Ms. Stakely, which caused her death.’
The teen – alongside another 16-year-old and Gerald Dowling, 19 – have been charged with murder.
Alexa Stakely, 29, was stuck by the unidentified 16-year-old on July 11 after he panicked when she confronted the group in order to save her child in the backseat during the middle of the robbery, Columbus Police said
Now, the 16-year-old who fatally struck the educator turned himself in, accompanied by his parents, after he admitted to them he had performed the crime
A $10million bond was set for Dowling after he turned himself in to Columbus Police on Wednesday and admitted to his involvement in the tragedy.
Both minors are enrolled in the Canal Winchester Local Schools District – the same district Stakely taught as a speech pathologist, according to WBNS.
The educator was fatally struck around 1am as she exited her babysitter’s apartment complex after noticing the 16-year-old had started to back out of the space. She screamed for him to stop and for her son.
The 16-year-old, who was not identified, said he and his friends had been scoping out a car to steal when they saw Stakely’s.
The teen – alongside another 16-year-old and Gerald Dowling, 19 (pictured) – have been charged with murder. A $10million bond was set for Dowling after he turned himself into Columbus Police on Wednesday and admitted to his involvement in the tragedy
Stakely had left her six-year-old son to go get her daughter’s belongings.
The car then struck her, knocking her to the pavement, causing her to obtain a head injury. She was pronounced dead at the hospital.
The boys later ditched her Honda CRV a short distance away and police found the little boy unharmed inside, police said.
Canal Winchester Schools posted a heartfelt tribute on Facebook to Stakely, a dedicated speech-language therapist who worked with the preschoolers at Winchester Trail Elementary.
‘It’s my understanding that his parents and his conscience got to him a little bit,’ Sergeant Joe Albert (pictured) said. ‘We want to thank his parents…His parents immediately brought him down here to Columbus Police headquarters’
‘Ms. Alexa’ as she was called by her students, had been with the district for five years.
‘Ms. Stakely’s family shared that she died heroically while trying to save her 6-year-old son during a carjacking. Thankfully, her son was not injured and is now with family. Please keep Alexa’s son, family, and friends in your prayers during this difficult time,’ the district wrote in the Facebook post.
‘Alexa was passionate about children and speech-language therapy,’ the post read. ‘She was smart and compassionate, and she cared so much about helping children develop their ability to communicate. She was a great mom who was incredibly dedicated to her son. Ms. Stakely made a difference in the lives of the students and families she worked with and will be missed by so many in our community and beyond.’
