A 15-year-old Washington girl stole her godmother’s car and then hit a jogger while trying to “scare him,” then later laughed about it with her friend, police said. The runner has tragically died on the spot.
Kasama Smith went 50 mph, which is 15 mph over the speed limit supposed to be maintained. Charges against the suspect say that she hit Greg Moore, 53, when he was jogging at about 6 am on July 18 on a street in Maple Valley. “I’m going to scare him, I’m going to bump him,” Smith reportedly told a passenger in the car.
After she hit Moore, Smith left the scene, along with another vehicle traveling with her and behind her.
The friend in the other vehicle told detectives that the girl had taken the 2004 Toyota Camry from her godmother and that she took her mom’s car and was driving it alone behind the suspect. She said she heard a loud bang and saw something fly into the air. She estimated they were going about 50 mph (in a 35 mph zone).
She said the Camry swerved and straightened out and that they continued driving. They eventually made a right turn and stopped to look at the car.
“They were freaking out,” the friend said.
According to court documents obtained by King County prosecutors, Smith has been charged with second-degree murder for the death of 53-year-old Greg Moore.
Moore’s wife is enraged that Smith is being tried as a teen and not an adult. “A family member (of the suspect) heard the individual laugh about the way Greg’s body flew up in the air when she hit him,” Michelle Moore said. She further said that since the car was doing 50 mph, calling the impact a “bump” is an understatement, and wrong. “It’s a ‘thrill kill’ is what it’s called,” Moore said.
She had set up a website to find Smith and offered a reward of $35,000. A GoFundMe page was created after the incident, and $44,758 was raised of the $100,000 goal when this report was published.
According to reports, Smith was originally charged with vehicular homicide and felony hit-and-run, but the charges were upgraded to second-degree murder after investigators learned more about the case.
Smith faces up to 28 years behind bars if she is found guilty of the charges against her.
Now, Moore’s wife is hoping that the Washington justice system can get justice for her deceased husband, who was out jogging for his health when the teenager used her car to end his life.
Sources: AWM
