Mom of Grosse Pointe teen won’t be charged after high-speed crash that killed 18-year-old

The mother of a 16-year-old who was involved in a collision last year that killed his 18-year-old companion will not be charged.

(FOX 2) GROSSE POINTE, MIWayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said there was insufficient evidence to charge the mother of a 16-year-old who was driving 100 mph in a 25 mph zone before a collision that killed an 18-year-old passenger.

Prosecutor Worthy declared Tuesday morning that the parents of the 16-year-old motorist who murdered 18-year-old Flynn Mackrell on November 17, 2023, while speeding would not face any prosecution.

Mackrell was driving a 2021 BMW X3 with a 16-year-old who was exceeding 100 miles per hour in a 25-mile-per-hour zone, according to a police report. After losing control, the driver struck a pole, toppled it, and struck a tree.

Medics declared Mackrell dead at the site.

Despite not being charged as an adult, the drive was charged with second-degree murder. Rather, he was labeled as an adult; a court might punish him as either an adult or a juvenile if found guilty. He could also receive a juvenile punishment from the judge, with the possibility of an adult sentence as well.

Anne Vanker, Mackrell’s mother, asked the prosecution to charge the teen’s parents in order to secure greater justice for her son.

Earlier this year, she stated, “The lamp post is knocked down, and you’re talking maybe 20 feet,” “The car flew in the air, flipped and hit the tree.”

According to Vanker, the vehicle demonstrates that the driver was still pressing the accelerator when it crashed.

“The black box is what shows us why it is second-degree murder,” Vanker stated. “Because at six seconds out, he’s 100 percent, the accelerator was pushed down.”

Vanker maintained that her son may have been prevented if the parents had taken some action. She cites the police report’s evidence of a pattern of excessive speeding and claims that his mother bought the car so she could use an app to keep an eye on his speed.

“What she did not do, but she could have done did she know there was this grave, potential grave, bodily harm or death to another person,” she stated.

After reviewing the facts, Prosecutor Worthy took up the case. Worthy claimed that for years, the teen’s mother had continuously exercised appropriate parental supervision over her son. According to Worthy, there is insufficient proof to establish his mother’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Even in the best of situations, parenting can be challenging. For the most part, parents try their hardest to guide and coach their children. The mother of the little kid was no exception. She tried to keep him on the correct track by taking proactive, regular actions. Some would argue that she ought to have done more, but we have examined all the evidence, and it is clear from the facts that no criminal charges are necessary in this case. Since her son will be on trial in February, we won’t go into further detail about what she did,” Worthy stated. “She had nothing to do with the actions for which we have prosecuted her son, either directly or indirectly. We firmly believe that the respondent alone bears direct responsibility for the offenses for which we have charged him as an adult, notwithstanding his mother’s efforts to the contrary.”

The 16-year-old’s trial is scheduled for early February, and he will appear in court in January.

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A mother who lost her son in a horrific tragedy in Grosse Pointe Farms involving teenagers and fast speeds says she is still looking for justice a year after the incident.

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