Driver accused of hit-and-run crash that killed Missouri college student now charged
Nearly six months after a Missouri college student was killed in a hit-and-run crash, charges have been filed against the driver accused of causing the collision.
Marjorie Dewitt, 55, has been charged with involuntary manslaughter, leaving the scene of an accident that resulted in death and tampering with physical evidence in felony prosecution in connection to the May 7 crash, court records show.
Those charges were filed after Dewitt turned herself in and pleaded not guilty, according to court documents. Dewitt was booked and released and is scheduled to appear in court on Dec. 13 in Greene County.
Dewitt is accused of killing Mercedes Luna, a 21-year-old Drury University student, near Rogersville, the Springfield News-Leader reported. A student in elementary education, Luna was student teaching at Logan-Rogersville Primary School before she died.
The crash is believed to have been caused by Dewitt when she tried to pass a FedEx truck in a no-passing zone of a state highway, KY3 reported.
Officials say Luna was forced to swerve into a ditch to avoid colliding into Dewitt’s SUV, KOLR reported, but she lost control and was struck by the FedEx truck.
Luna died of crash-related injuries while at a hospital, according to the News-Leader.
FedEx surveillance cameras show Dewitt’s SUV driving away from the scene following the crash, KY3 reported, though she denied being involved when she was questioned by police later that day.
A search warrant from AT&T shows that Dewitt’s phone was active on May 7 in the area of the hit-and-run crash, according to KOLR.
“We are deeply saddened by the death of Ms. Luna,” said Dewitt’s attorney, Lindsay Runnels, according to the News-Leader. “We will continue to pray for comfort and healing for those who loved and cared for her and all those affected by this tragic accident. We have no further comment at this time.”
This story was originally published November 5, 2021 at 10:02 AM with the headline "Driver accused of hit-and-run crash that killed Missouri college student now charged."