A Virginia man has been charged with four counts of second-degree murder and four counts of operating while intoxicated causing death after a July 1 crash on I-75 in Springfield Township killed a family of four.
Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald announced charges against Charles Dean Pace, 27, of Glen Allen, Virginia, on Monday (July 6) in connection with the crash that killed Zakeria Sharon Dodson, 23; Tieree Powell, 24; Nalani Powell, 3; and Karter Powell, 2.
According to prosecutors, Pace was driving a Ford F-250 pickup truck southbound on I-75 near East Holly Road when he allegedly struck a disabled Chrysler 300 stopped on the side of the roadway.
Michigan State Police investigators said Pace was traveling at speeds exceeding 90 mph and weaving between lanes before the crash.
Investigators also reported that Pace’s blood alcohol level was more than three times the legal limit.
The victims were occupants of the disabled Chrysler.
Second-degree murder charges in vehicle-related deaths are uncommon but have been used in previous Michigan cases involving allegations of extreme reckless behavior.
The Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office previously secured a second-degree murder conviction against Angel Melendez-Ortiz, who was accused of killing two people while fleeing police and driving the wrong way on the Lodge Freeway in January 2024.
Melendez-Ortiz was sentenced to 74 years in prison in June 2025.
In another Michigan case, Marshella Chidester was sentenced to 25 to 50 years in prison after being convicted of second-degree murder in a 2024 drunk driving crash that killed two children at the Swan Boat Club in Monroe County.
Michigan State Police Troopers responded to the I-75 crash and conducted the investigation, including sobriety testing and crash reconstruction.
Pace is expected to be arraigned July 7, 2026, in 52-2 District Court in Clarkston.
Second-degree murder is punishable by any term of years in prison up to life.
Operating while intoxicated causing death carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison and/or a $10,000 fine.