Virginia
Va. man accused of killing Pontiac family of 4 in crash, held without bond
Clarkston — A Virginia man accused of driving drunk on I-75 in northern Oakland County and plowing his truck into a car on the side of the freeway, killing a Pontiac family of four, has been charged with second-degree murder.
Charles Dean Pace, 27, of Glen Allen, Virginia, pleaded not guilty on Tuesday morning to four counts of second-degree murder and four counts of operating while intoxicated causing death. He’s being held without bond.
Second-degree murder in Michigan is punishable by any number of years in prison, including a life sentence.
Pace is accused of killing Zakeria Dodson, 23, Tieree Powell, 24, Nalani Powell, 3, and Karter Powell, 2 on July 1 when he crashed into their stalled vehicle with his Ford F-250 on Interstate 75 in Springfield Township. Investigators reported Pace’s blood-alcohol level was more than three times the legal limit.
“Zakeria, Tieree, Nalani and Karter did not die in an accident,” said Prosecutor Karen McDonald in a press release Tuesday. “They were murdered because of this defendant’s alleged choices — to drive drunk, to drive fast and to drive recklessly — that created an obvious and unnecessary danger. “This is a rare charge, but we believe we can show the most extreme indifference to human life.”
Pace is being held in the Oakland County jail after Magistrate Judge Michael Bosnic denied him bond, according to court records.
Pace’s attorney, Elias Muawad, said this decision was made because Pace is not from Michigan, he had a previous alcohol-related offense in 2020 and due to the seriousness of the charges.
The Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office said while second-degree murder charges for vehicular homicide are rare, they’re not unprecedented. Angel Melendez-Ortiz was convicted of second-degree murder after he killed two people while fleeing police by driving the wrong way on the Lodge freeway in January 2024. He was sentenced to 74 years in prison in June 2025.
mbryan@detroitnews.com