close

Split verdict for woman charged in crash

2 min read
article image -

A Greene County jury reached a split verdict Friday night for a Franklin Township woman facing charges for driving an off-road vehicle that crashed in August 2015, killing a 12-year-old boy.

After her three-day trial, Tracy Lynn Russell, 45, of 2680 Mt. Morris Road, was found not guilty of involuntary manslaughter, one count of endangering the welfare of a child and one count of reckless endangerment. She was found guilty of three counts each of endangering the welfare of a child and reckless endangerment and two summary offenses.

Russell had been driving three children, ages 12, 11 and 7, and another adult around her property in a utility-task vehicle just before 8 p.m. Aug. 8, 2015, when the vehicle tipped over.

The 12-year-old, Marrius L. Duncan of Adrian, Armstrong County, died from injuries sustained in the crash.

He was taken to WHS-Greene hospital, where he was pronounced dead from injuries to the head, neck and chest, according to court documents.

All three children were being fostered by Margaret Bigley, the mother of Russell’s boyfriend, according to the criminal complaint. Russell told police she was having a cookout that day and Bigley was there with the three children. She decided to take them for a ride in the UTV, police said.

Russell, another adult and one of the children were in the front seat, while two of the children were in the back utility bed with helmets on because there were no seat belts back there, she told police.

Blood tests later showed Russell had a blood-alcohol content of 0.13 percent.

Russell is out of jail on a $10,000 unsecured bond, while she awaits sentencing by Greene County Judge Lou Dayich.

CUSTOMER LOGIN

If you have an account and are registered for online access, sign in with your email address and password below.

NEW CUSTOMERS/UNREGISTERED ACCOUNTS

Never been a subscriber and want to subscribe, click the Subscribe button below.

Starting at $3.75/week.

Subscribe Today