TACOMA, WA – Today Pierce County Prosecutor Mark Lindquist charged Eduardo Francisco Francisco-Andres, 17, with Vehicular Homicide in juvenile court. On Friday afternoon, April, 12, 2013, the respondent was the driver of a car that crashed into a tree on Five Mile Drive in Point Defiance Park. One of three passengers in the car, 15-year-old A.R, died at the scene.
"This is another sad reminder that drinking and driving can be deadly," said Prosecutor Lindquist.
On Friday afternoon, the respondent, A.R. and two other friends were drinking alcohol at one of the viewpoints on Five Mile Drive. The respondent drove the group away from the overlook. A witness reported that the vehicle sped through a stop sign on Five Mile Drive. The car disappeared around a corner and moments later slammed into a tree.
The Tacoma Fire Department pronounced A.R. dead at the scene. The respondent told Tacoma Police he was the driver and admitted to consuming beer before driving. At the scene, officers recovered a backpack with several empty beer cans and at least one empty wine bottle that belonged to the teens. The respondent was transported to Mary Bridge Hospital and later booked into Remann Hall.
Due to the nature of the charge and the respondent’s age, a declination hearing to determine whether the respondent will be treated as a juvenile or an adult has been scheduled for April 25, 2013. At that time the respondent will also be arraigned on the charge.
Charges are only allegations and a person is presumed innocent unless he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
For more information, please contact Kelly Kelstrup at (253) 798-7792, [email protected].