A Texas man has been charged with murder after he stole and wrecked a vehicle with a female passenger in it.
Darion Thomas, 26, was also charged with theft in connection with the death of 32-year-old Karen Mariela.
According to an arrest warrant affidavit obtained by PEOPLE, Thomas told police he was at a gas station on March 10 when he saw two people enter. He says he then went outside to check the parking lot to see if the car was running.
When Thomas discovered the car was running, he jumped in and drove away, he told police, according to the affidavit. The owner of the car told police that Mariela was lying in the back seat when the car was stolen.
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Police said Mariela became “alert” to the carjacking and Thomas “speeded up and was driving recklessly when [Mariela] started yelling at him,” according to the affidavit.
Thomas claimed he was driving around a curve at 260 miles per hour and lost control of the vehicle, hitting a utility pole. Mariela was thrown from the vehicle and suffered multiple blunt force injuries. She died at the scene.
A witness at the scene said Thomas told him “his legs were broken and he stole the vehicle because he needed a ride to work,” according to the affidavit. “Then he asked the witness for a gun to kill himself.”
Thomas was taken to the hospital due to his injuries. He is being held in the Dallas County Jail on $5,000 bail for theft and $1 million for murder.
He has not yet entered a plea. It is not clear if he has hired a lawyer.
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education