Lexus crashes head-on into Lyft at 70 mph, killing 3: medical examiner (2023)

WASHINGTON — A woman charged with murder after crashing into a Lyft along Rock Creek Parkway in March was previously charged with driving under the influence on multiple occasions, according to court documents.

The accident happened along Rock Creek Parkwaythe 15th of March. The driver, identified as 43-year-old Nakita Marie Walker, was charged Monday with second-degree murder.

The D.C. court documents offer more insight into what happened in the moments leading up to the crash and afterward.

Movies and drinks before fatal crashes

According to an affidavit, Walker and an unnamed man went to an eat-in movie theater in Bethesda, Maryland to see Scream 6. While in the theater, the pair each drank alcoholic beverages. After leaving the theater, the two allegedly went to a liquor store, where the man bought a bottle of Hennessy liquor.

Walker then began driving the man to her home in Northwest D.C. The man later told US Park Police that he was drinking while driving, but that Walker was not.

Traffic stop

At 1:32 a.m., U.S. Park Police Officer Mugavero observed Walker's black Lexus SUV speeding in the area before running a red light at Independence Avenue and 17th Street Southwest. Mugavero pulled Walker over along Rock Creek Parkway, south of F Street Northwest.

Mugavero approached the SUV on the passenger side and claimed to have noticed the man holding a red solo cup with a dark brown liquid. Additionally, the officer said they smelled alcohol coming from the car. When Mugavero told Walker and the man they could not drink alcohol in the vehicle, Walker reportedly said only the passenger was drinking.

Mugavero asked the couple for their identification, and when the man reached for his ID, the officer noticed what appeared to be packaged marijuana. Mugavero says he told the man that marijuana is illegal on federal property before Walker put the car in drive and drove away from the officer.

Mugavero did not pursue Walker and instead began driving toward Sibley Memorial Hospital for an unrelated incident. US Park Police later explained that Mugavero did not follow Walker because the stop did not meet the criteria for a pursuit.

Crash

At 1:36 a.m., just four minutes after the officer pulled Walker over, the DC Office of Unified Communications received a call that the Lexus had crashed.

Five minutes after the accident was reported, Mugavero was dispatched to the accident and noticed a woman lying on the pavement next to the driver's side of the Lexus. Mugavero recognized the woman as Walker, having stopped her just a mile down the road minutes earlier.

According to court documents, the man who was also in the car walked away after the crash. When stopped by officers, he claimed he was not involved in the accident but had tried to help people out of the car.

The officers claim that the man smelled strongly of alcohol and that a short time later he was identified as the passenger by Mugavero.

The man was evaluated by EMT and questioned by police. He claimed that after Walker sped away, the other car entered their lane as if they were in the middle of the street. He said he was in shock after the crash and walked away to avoid being hit by a call while on the phone to people.

Reconstruction officers later said Walker's Lexus crossed the double yellow line and hit a Honda Accord head-on. According to the Lexus Event Data Recorder, the car was going 100 mph just seconds before the crash and hit the Honda head-on at more than 70 mph.

Mohamed Kamara, 42, was behind the wheel of the Honda and working as a Lyft driver when the accident happened. He had just picked up Jonathan Cabrera Mendez, 23, and Olvin Torres Velasquez, 22. All three were killed in the crash.

Witnesses call 911

Several people witnessed the crash and called 911. Court documents say a person who claims to live nearby heard a loud boom and then someone yelling. When they looked outside, the caller claimed to see a large man walking up the ramp from Rock Creek Parkway to P Street at a "casual pace."

Another caller, identified only as "Witness 2," called 911 and said their husband had been driving them home from work on Rock Creek Parkway when the accident occurred.

"Witness 2 described being two seconds after the impact when one vehicle drove around the curb, went the wrong way and collided head on with another vehicle causing the wheel to come off," the affidavit said.

Two more witnesses contacted the US Park Police after seeing reports of the crash on the news. They claimed they were about six car lengths behind another vehicle in the left lane when another car came driving in the opposite direction. They said the car crossed the line and hit the car in front of them head-on. The couple said they were forced to swerve to avoid the collision and saw debris and a tire in the air.

A fourth witness, who was passing by in a carpool, said they did not see the crash, but saw a man dragging a girl out of the car and her lying in the street. This detail was confirmed by two other witnesses who called 911.

When the witness asked the man if he had called for help, the man allegedly said he didn't know where his phone was.

Nearly two weeks after the crash, another witness left an anonymous tip that Walker ran that night because the man inside her car had two loaded firearms. Police searched the Lexus and found no firearms.

Hospitalssamtale

Both Walker and the man were taken to Howard University Hospital for treatment of their injuries. Court documents refer to the man only as "Subject 1."

When investigators spoke with the passenger, he told police he has known Walker for 11 years and that they are in an intimate relationship. Officers found the couple had been together all day. He claimed the two had a few drinks while watching Scream 6 before visiting a liquor store to buy a bottle of Hennessy.

The man told police that Walker didn't drink in the car because he made sure she was already "turned on" and that she gets "drunk" really quickly.

The man explained that the pair were on their way to Walker's home when they were stopped. He claims Walker had no intention of stopping until he convinced her and that he told her to slow down after she sped away from the traffic stop.

"[The man] said the other car was in their lane in front of them and boom," the affidavit reads.

After the crash, the man said he got out of the car and went to the driver's side to help Walker. He explained that another person stopped to help pull Walker from the driver's side. He then walked away to make a phone call while screaming for help when he was stopped by police.

During the interview, officers say the man asked if he seemed intoxicated to them. When officers said he seemed okay, the man complained about Walker, saying she refused to let him drive even though she had had too much to drink.

When investigators tried to talk to Walker, she appeared to continue dozing off due to the sedatives hospital staff had given her.

"Regarding the accident, she stated that she was not drinking and driving, but rather got into the car to move it for the person who was driving," the affidavit states. "She also said her friend was driving and he left."

Subject 1 changes its history

When the man was later interviewed by detectives and an assistant U.S. attorney, he said he and Walker were only acquaintances and were not in a romantic relationship, despite his earlier accounts.

Details of the man's story began to change, from which movie theater they were in earlier in the evening to what the couple did afterward. Initially, the man said the couple went to a liquor store and a gas station after seeing Scream 6 in Bethesda, the affidavit said.

In the second interview, the man claimed Walker dropped him off in the Southeast and later returned with a group of female friends. He said he later fell asleep and could not remember anything about the traffic stop or the crash on Rock Creek Parkway.

Investigators told the man his account was not credible and advised him to get an attorney.

A history of DUIs and $12K in speeding tickets

Hospital staff tested Walker's blood after the crash and found she had a blood alcohol level of .10, which is .02 over the legal limit, according to court documents.

This is not Walker's first DUI case. In D.C. Walker has been convicted of driving under the influence three times, once in 2015, once in 2018 and a third time in 2020. A prosecutor in court on Tuesday also pointed to other DUI charges filed in Virginia.

In addition to Walker's prior DUI convictions, the Lexus she was driving had several outstanding traffic citations at the time of the crash totaling more than $12,000. The Lexus had 39 unpaid traffic violations, 38 of which were for speeding, DMV records show.

All the traffic violations were issued in less than a year, according to court documents.

First day in court

Walker appeared before a judge Tuesday in a wheelchair to face charges of second-degree murder.

Her defense attorney called the crash a tragedy, but said the charges don't take into account what was happening inside the car at the time of the crash. She claims Walker was under duress while the man in the car screamed at her and pointed to the anonymous tip about the two guns the man may have had.

Walker's attorney questioned why prosecutors waited two months to file what she called "aggressive" charges. She also said that while Walker was driving over the legal limit, it wasn't so much over that it warranted a second-degree manslaughter charge.

The prosecutor said that despite what happened inside the vehicle, there is no doubt who was behind the wheel. In addition, he pointed out that Walker was driving with an open container in the vehicle.

The judge agreed with the prosecution, saying court documents show that while Walker was going 70 mph when she hit the Honda head-on, the other car was only going about 35 mph.

Walker's attorney asked the judge to allow her client to be released, saying Walker can't drive with multiple broken bones that require medical attention and that she has an 11-year-old who needs her home.

"The court can put an ankle monitor on her non-struck ankle," the defense attorney said. She told the judge that her client has faced prior DUI charges but has complied with the conditions imposed by the courts so well that officials reduced her terms of supervision.

Prosecutors disagreed and asked the judge to hold Walker in custody until her next court appearance, pointing to her previous convictions and unpaid speeding tickets.

The judge said she understands the medical concerns with Walker's injuries, but her decision is based on community safety and that Walker is charged in the deaths of three people while being released on two other DUI charges.

While Walker may have complied with some conditions from her previous convictions, the judge said she failed to comply with the biggest one, which is not driving under the influence.

"She made the decision to ignore court orders and drive under the influence," the judge said.

Ultimately, the judge said she could not guarantee Walker would comply with court orders and sided with prosecutors, ordering Walker held until her next court date.

After issuing the order, Walker spoke with his attorney, who then asked if house arrest would be an acceptable alternative. The judge refused, saying she has no faith Walker will comply with the prison term. The judge then spoke directly to Walker, saying she understood Walker's displeasure with the decision and she wants the chance that the next judge can give her the answer she wants, but her first priority is keeping the community safe.

Walker's next court date is scheduled for June 6.