A 32-year-old mother has been indicted months after a fatal crash in Bowie, Maryland, that killed her six passengers — including five children, two of which were hers.
Dominique Taylor was charged with six counts of vehicular manslaughter and six counts of vehicular homicide under the influence in the accident in the predawn hours of Feb. 2, when her SUV veered off Route 301 near Pointer Ridge Drive, in Bowie, and crashed into a tree.
Taylor is facing up to 60 years in prison, Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Aisha Braveboy said Tuesday afternoon.
Braveboy said that Taylor’s blood alcohol level was at least twice the legal limit of .08.
Two of the children killed — London Dixon, 8, and Paris Dixon, 5 — were Taylor’s. Rickelle Ricks, 6; Zion Beard, 14, and Damari Herald, 15, all of D.C., were also killed.
Braveboy said the children were not wearing seat belts and all five were thrown from the vehicle upon impact. She added that the three children who weren’t Taylor’s were related to her.
Cornell Simon, 23, of Oxon Hill, died Feb. 18 of his injuries. Braveboy described him as a friend of Taylor’s. Taylor was treated and released.
“We are now turning our focus to obtaining justice for the victims and their families and holding Ms. Taylor accountable for her actions,” Braveboy said.
“I went to the funeral,” Braveboy said, describing the pictures and stuffed animals at the closed-casket funeral. “…But even within all that tragedy, we have to do our job. We have to seek justice.”
She added, “It’s tough. We know no one … intends to kill anyone. But when you make decisions on the roadway that are dangerous decisions … our office has no choice but to seek justice.”
Braveboy said she didn’t know whether Taylor had been arrested yet.
WTOP’s Megan Cloherty contributed to this report.
