COLUMBUS, Ohio — A 19-year-old man and two 16-year-old boys have been arrested and charged with murder in connection to the death of a 29-year-old mother who was killed nearly two weeks ago trying to save her son after her vehicle was stolen, according to the Columbus Division of Police.
Police say that on Wednesday afternoon, one of the 16-year-olds was accompanied by his parents at Columbus Police Headquarters where he admitted to stealing the vehicle and striking Alexa Stakely, causing her death.
The teen said that he and two others were looking for a vehicle to steal when they saw Stakely's Honda, police said. As the two friends watched, the teen said he got into Stakely's SUV and was about to drive off when she appeared in front of the vehicle.
The 16-year-old said that he panicked and began to drive off, hitting Stakely. He then abandoned the SUV and rejoined the other two on foot.
Later Wednesday evening, police identified and interviewed a second 16-year-old who they said admitted to being present during the incident. He has been charged with murder.
Less than two hours later, Columbus Police Sgt. Joseph Albert confirmed that the third suspect, identified as Gerald Dowling, came to Columbus Police Headquarters and admitted to his involvement in the incident.
"This is one that I think hit home for a lot of people and we want to thank everybody for their help which ultimately led to the arrest of all three individuals,” Sgt. Albert said.
Albert said he hopes this tragic story serves as a wake-up call to other criminals.
"This should be a message to all these juveniles that are out here stealing vehicles. To you, you're just stealing a vehicle, but you have no idea what's around the corner and you could potentially kill somebody and ruin your life as well,” Albert said.
Stakely was killed trying to stop her vehicle from being stolen as her 6-year-old son was asleep in the backseat. The incident happened on July 11 at an apartment complex on the southeast side of Columbus.
Stakely arrived at the complex around 1:30 a.m. that night to pick up her son from her babysitter's apartment. Police said she initially brought the boy to her Honda CRV, which she had left running, then returned to the babysitter's unit to get the child's belongings.
As she returned to her vehicle, Stakely saw someone starting to back it out onto the roadway and she ran toward the SUV, screaming for her son and telling the driver to stop.
Stakely was struck by the vehicle and knocked to the pavement, suffering a head injury. She was pronounced dead at the hospital.
The suspects abandoned the car a short distance away from where Stakely was struck, police said.
Surveillance video released last week shows two of the three suspects running behind Stakely's SUV just after it was stolen. Police say those two suspects met up with the driver once the car was abandoned and all three continued northbound.
The last place the suspects are captured on video is walking northbound at Brynwood Green Drive.