(WXYZ) — A Detroit man has been charged after prosecutors say he killed two people in a crash over the weekend.
Watch the arraignment below
Detroit police told us earlier this week that the crash happened around 2:15 a.m. Sunday near Teresa's Place Bar in the area of McNichols Road and Schaefer Highway. The victims, 43-year-old Erica Smith and 51-year-old Dawad Helton, were friends who had been at the bar together. Both died at the scene.
Prosecutors say that the driver, 29-year-old Nicholas Alexander Lee-Nathan, was intoxicated and struck the victims at a high rate of speed while heading west on McNichols. Bystanders pulled the suspected driver from his car to keep him from leaving the scene, according to the victims' families.
"I heard he sped out of the bar and lost control and hit them and then he tried to leave and backed over them again," said Nina Campbell, Smith's sister.
Watch our previous coverage
At the arraignment, it was revealed that the preliminary toxicology report from Sinai Grace said that Lee-Nathan had a projected Blood Alcohol Content of .274, more than three times the legal limit.
Lee-Nathan, who has a DUI conviction from 2025, has been charged with two counts of Second-Degree Murder, two counts of Operating While Intoxicated - Causing Death, and two counts of Reckless Driving Causing Death. He has been remanded to jail, with no bond offered. If convicted, he faces life in prison.
"I always say that alcohol and driving never mix. This was completely avoidable. The alleged actions of the defendant caused the tragic death of two innocent people," said Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy.
Stay with WXYZ.com for updates on this developing story.
