Four teenagers in Toledo, Ohio, have been charged with murder and vehicular vandalism after throwing sandbags and other objects off of an overpass onto Interstate 75. One of the sandbags crashed through the window of a car below, killing 22-year-old Marquise Byrd after hitting him on the head. Byrd, who died three days after being injured, was a passenger in the car.
The teens, who are 13 and 14 years old, were arraigned on Wednesday, following the incident which took place on December 19. Since they damaged a second car, they are being charged with two counts of vehicular vandalism. They have pleaded not guilty.
Byrd was planning on proposing to his girlfriend, who is the mother of his 2-year-old son. Instead, his family (including his older brother who has just returned from military deployment overseas) will have to bury a beloved young man who is described as always having a smile on his face. According to CNN, “Byrd won’t be buried until January 6 while the family waits for people to come into town to ‘come together in fellowship and memory of his life,’ [the family attorney] said.”
Byrd, who is from Warren, Michigan, was the only person hurt in the incident. Passengers in the second car that was damaged by the teens did not get injured.
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