A 15-year-old girl from Washington state has been arrested on second-degree murder charges after she intentionally hit a jogger with a car she “borrowed” from a relative, police and prosecutors allege.
Per KIRO 7, the girl is being charged as a juvenile with the murder and hit-and-run of 53-year-old Greg Moore after he was found lifeless on the side of the road on July 18. She took her godmother’s car without permission and drove 15 miles over the speed limit, hitting Moore on a Maple Valley street. Another 15-year-old was present in the car at the same time the incident happened, and told authorities the girl said, “I’m going to scare him, I’m going to bump him.”
One of her friends followed behind in another car, and admitted she heard a loud bang and “saw something fly into the air.” Moore’s body was found hours after the incident in a ditch outside the Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church. In the weeks that followed, the girl expressed concern that her friends could “snitch” on her. She also attempted to hide evidence that would link her to the hit-and-run.
The suspect has since turned herself in at a King County sheriff’s precinct, and turned up with her father. “A family member (of the suspect) heard the individual laugh about the way Greg’s body flew up in the air when she hit him,” said Michelle Moore, the wife of the deceased. Before the identity of the driver was confirmed by police, the family of Greg Moore offered a $35,000 reward for any information.
"It’s a ‘thrill-kill’ is what it’s called," added Michelle Moore, who expressed anger that the girl is not being tried as an adult. She also claimed that detectives told her the teenager pulled over after striking her husband to see his body. "I would argue that the brutality of her crime and blatant disregard for human life warrants her being tried as an adult."
According to the Kent Reporter, the girl told her godmother that someone hit the car with a bat and denied driving the car. It wasn’t until at least a week after the hit-and-run that the girl admitted to her father that she hit the man with the car.
Casey McNerthney, spokesman for King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg, said that it’s “understandable” that Moore is frustrated. The suspect is only 15 and has no criminal record, which means an adult charge would likely have to be reversed by a judge. “It’s not the justice that everyone wants, but we will be accountable for our decision and, ultimately, we intend to get a conviction here," added McNerthney, who indicated the girl could stay in corrective detention until at least age 21 if convicted.
"We understand that many people who knew and loved Mr. Moore find the legal remedies neither sufficient nor just,” said McNerthney. “We are sorry for his loss and this tragedy that should not have happened. We will do everything within our ability to hold this juvenile responsible for her actions and to support the family through the legal process, knowing that even guilty verdicts will not make up for this senseless crime.”
