Man with 12 previous drunken-driving convictions bound over on murder charges

Charles Cahill, 49, charged in 12-year-old's murder

SUMPTER TOWNSHIP, Mich. – A 49-year-old man with 12 previous drunken-driving convictions was in court Wednesday morning for a preliminary hearing for murder charges in a crash that killed a 12-year-old girl.

Charles James Cahill, Jr., is charged with second-degree murder, operating with a high blood-alcohol content causing death, operating with a suspended license causing death and a misdemeanor count of open alcohol container in a vehicle.

Sumpter Township police say Cahill crashed into the rear-end of a minivan at a high rate of speed July 27 and critically injured 12-year-old Victoria Mack. She died after three days on life support.

Cahill has 12 previous drunken-driving convictions dating back to 1986.

He waived his right to a preliminary hearing and was bound over for trial before 34th District Court Judge Brian Oakly.

Cahill is lodged at the Wayne County Jail with no bond.

What happened

According to police, Cahill was traveling northbound on Martinsville Road in Sumpter Township at a high rate of speed at about 8 p.m. when he rear-ended a minivan carrying five passengers. Victoria was in the third-row seat of the van. She was critically injured in the crash.

Two other children, ages 2 and 3, were also in the vehicle.

Sumpter Township Fire Department crews cut her from the seat and freed her from the wreckage. She was flown to Mott Children’s Hospital and was placed on life support.

Police said Cahill’s blood-alcohol content was almost three times the legal limit at the time of the crash.

Cahill was originally charged with operating while intoxicated causing serious injury.  Victoria died three days later and charges against Cahill were amended.

12 previous drunken-driving convictions

Further investigations showed Cahill had 12 previous drunken-driving convictions.

“We’ve all seen the three, or four, or five, and you have a hard time believing that somebody can get that many and still be out driving around,” Sumpter Township police Chief Eric Luke said. “But 12 priors, I just don’t understand it.”

Police said Cahill’s license has been revoked by the Secretary of State’s Office since 1990.

Cahill’s drunken driving convictions date back to 1986 with arrests in Westland, Plymouth and Detroit.

“The past 20 years or so, society’s been lucky when it comes to this individual,” Luke said a week after the crash. “Unfortunately, last Wednesday at 8:20 at night, our luck ran out.”