Driver Charged with Second Degree Murder in Drunk Driving Crash that Killed Family on I-75
(Oakland County Prosecutor, July 7, 2026)
PONTIAC, MI – Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald charged Charles Dean Pace, a 27-year-old resident of Glen Allen, Virginia, with four counts of Second Degree Murder and four counts of Operating While Intoxicated Causing Death.
On July 1, the defendant was driving a Ford F-250 truck southbound on 1-75 near East Holly Road in Springfield Township, allegedly at speeds exceeding 90 mph while weaving in and out of lanes.
His vehicle struck a disabled Chrysler 300 on the side of the road, killing its four occupants: Zakeria Sharon Dodson, 23, Tieree Powell, 24, Nalani Powell, 3, and Karter Powell, 2.
Michigan State Police investigators report the defendant registered a blood alcohol level more than three times the legal limit.
“Zakeria, Tieree, Nalani and Karter did not die in an accident,” said Prosecutor McDonald. “They were murdered because of this defendant’s alleged choices — to drive drunk, to drive fast and to drive recklessly — that created an obvious and unnecessary danger.
“This is a rare charge, but we believe we can show the most extreme indifference to human life.” Second Degree Murder for vehicular homicide is a rare, but not unprecedented, charge.
The Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office obtained a Second Degree Murder conviction against Angel Melendez-Ortiz, who killed two people while fleeing police by driving the wrong way on the Lodge freeway in January 2024. He was sentenced to 74 years in prison in June 2025.
In Monroe County, Marshella Chidester was sentenced to 25-50 years in prison for Second Degree Murder in the drunk driving crash that killed two young children at the Swan Boat Club in April 2024.
Michigan State Police troopers first responded to the scene of the crash and conducted the subsequent investigation, including sobriety tests and crash reconstruction.
The defendant was expected to be arraigned Tuesday in 52-2 District Court in Clarkston. Second Degree Murder is punishable by any term of years in prison, up to life. Operating While Intoxicated Causing Death is punishable by up to 15 years in prison and/or a $10,000 fine. Charges are accusations and individuals are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
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