A 17-year-old Utah girl has pleaded guilty to killing two people by deliberately crashing her car into another vehicle at 100mph while fleeing police in an attempted suicide.
Marilee Patricia Gardner copped to two counts of attempted murder on Wednesday as part of a deal – even though prosecutors initially wanted to charge her with first-degree murder.
As part of the punishment for one of the charges, she will remain in a juvenile facility until she turns 21 years of age, after which she will be sentenced again.
Gardner faces between three years and life in prison for the second guilty plea, according to Deseret News.
On June 30, 2016, a police officer tried to stop Gardner, who was 16 years old at the time, as she was on her way to carry out a suicide pact with her friend.
During the police pursuit, she intentionally rammed her car into another vehicle at 100mph, killing two victims before she ran off, according to authorities.
Marilee Patricia Gardner (above), 17, entered a guilty plea as part of an agreement with prosecutors who tried her for killing two people by deliberately crashing her car into another vehicle while fleeing police in an attempt at suicide
Gardner copped to two counts of attempted murder on Wednesday – even though prosecutors initially wanted to charge her with first-degree murder
When a Utah police officer tried to pull her over because she was dragging a plastic garbage can along, she ‘purposely crashed’ her car into another vehicle on June 30, 2016
Maddison Haan, 20, (left) was killed instantaneously, while Tyler Christianson, 19 (right) later died at McKay-Dee Hospital
Gardner was charged as an adult facing two counts of murder for the deaths of Maddison Haan, 20, and Tyler Christianson, 19, after she crashed into their vehicle in Roy, Utah.
Haan was killed instantaneously, while Christianson later died at McKay-Dee Hospital after family members decided to take him off life support.
Gardner was on her way to pick up an unnamed 17-year-old so they could buy drugs, take them and crash her mother’s car with both of them inside, according to charging documents.
She also faced additional charges for not stopping at the command of an officer and failing to remain at the scene of an accident involving death.
Gardner was on her way to pick up an unnamed 17-year-old so they could buy drugs, take them and crash her mother’s car with both of them inside, according to charging documents
When the officer tried to pull her over, Gardner accelerated and tried to commit suicide by crashing into the back of a Hyundai (above) with Haan and Christianson inside, according to the documents
Gardner (pictured) tried to flee on foot and told her dad that she ‘might have hurt someone’ over the phone, according to the charging documents. She was eventually found and taken into custody
Gardner ‘attempted to disable her parents’ home alarm, escaped their home and stole their vehicle with the intent of killing herself and a friend in a suicide pact,’ the charging document states.
Cops started tailing her when they noticed she was dragging a plastic garbage can under the Chevrolet Tahoe.
When the officer tried to pull her over, Gardner accelerated and tried to commit suicide by crashing into the back of a Hyundai with Haan and Christianson inside, according to the documents.
Investigators believe Gardner was traveling at 98mph, and Haan died on the scene.
Christianson, who was Haan’s friend and former co-worker at the Lagoon Amusement Park, was taken off life support less than three hours later.
Gardner kept driving for another 100 yards after she crashed into the victims, and slammed into another vehicle, fence and trailer before she ended up in a field.
She then tried to flee on foot and told her dad that she ‘might have hurt someone’ over the phone, according to the charging documents.
She was eventually found and taken into custody.
Gardner had run away several times, and had a history of being suicidal, documents state.
In the courtroom in Ogden, Christianson’s family watched the proceedings with a heavy heart.
Heather Morrison, his mother, was thinking instead about her son.
‘We all miss Tyler,’ Heather Morrison, Tyler’s mother, said after the hearing.
The families of the victims have had difficulty accepting the plea agreement, though Christianson’s mother said: ‘We’re glad we can all start healing from now’
‘We’re glad we can all start healing from now.’
When asked to describe her son, tears came to Morrison’s eyes as she remembered him as ‘a goofball.’
‘I don’t think that boy had a serious bone in his body,’ Morrison said.
His stepfather, Ken Farley, said that Christianson ‘lived up to his initials, TLC.’
While the families have had difficulty accepting the plea agreement, Morrison said that she supports it because ‘at least now (Gardner) has access to the help that she needs.’
Christianson’s aunt, Liz Wilder, said the family now hopes that Gardner will take advantage of the chance she has been given.
‘We come from love and forgiveness,’ Wilder said.
‘We’re grateful she has that choice. She’s the only one left with a choice.’