A 27-year-old Virginia man is facing four counts of second-degree murder and four counts of operating while intoxicated causing death after prosecutors say he drove drunk at more than 90 mph and crashed into a disabled vehicle on Interstate 75, killing an entire Pontiac family on July 1, 2026.

Charles Dean Pace, of Glen Allen, Virginia, was in Michigan for work when the crash occurred shortly after 9 p.m. southbound near East Holly Road in Springfield Township, Oakland County. According to the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office and Michigan State Police, Pace was driving a Ford F-250 pickup truck at speeds exceeding 90 mph while weaving in and out of lanes. His vehicle struck a disabled Chrysler 300 that had pulled onto the shoulder.

All four occupants of the Chrysler were killed: Zakeria Sharon Dodson, 23; Tieree Powell, 24; and their children, Nalani Powell, 3, and Karter Powell, 2. The family was heading home to Pontiac after a day of swimming when their vehicle broke down. Investigators reported that Pace’s blood-alcohol content was more than three times Michigan’s legal limit of 0.08%.

Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald announced the charges on July 6. In a statement, she said: “Zakeria, Tieree, Nalani and Karter did not die in an accident. 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 charges in vehicular homicide cases are uncommon in Michigan but not unprecedented. If convicted, Pace faces up to life in prison on the murder counts. The operating-while-intoxicated-causing-death charges each carry a maximum of 15 years in prison and/or a $10,000 fine.

Pace has a prior alcohol-related offense from 2020 in Virginia. At his arraignment on July 7 in 52-2 District Court in Clarkston, a judge denied bond, citing the seriousness of the charges and Pace’s lack of ties to Michigan. He remains held in the Oakland County Jail. A not-guilty plea was entered on his behalf, and a probable-cause conference was scheduled for July 14.

Community members in Pontiac have mourned the family, describing Dodson as a loving mother and Powell as a devoted father whose greatest joy was time with his children. A GoFundMe organized to help with funeral and burial expenses raised more than $20,000 in the days following the crash.

Sources: CBS Detroit,FOX 2 Detroit