The 15-year-old driver of a stolen car faces vehicular murder and other charges
A 15-year-old boy is now facing felony charges after allegedly driving a stolen car into another, killing the driver.
The boy, who has not yet been bound over to adult court and is still considered a juvenile offender, is charged with delinquency counts of aggravated vehicular homicide, a first-degree felony; involuntary manslaughter, a third-degree felony; and receiving stolen property.
According to Chris Clark, senior juvenile prosecutor in the Franklin County Prosecutor’s office, he will appear before a magistrate in Franklin County Juvenile Court on December 14 at 10:30 a.m., where he is expected to be handed over to Franklin County Common Pleas Court.
According to the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, the youngster and three others stole a Kia Optima on November 25 in the Lincoln Village neighborhood on the Far West Side.
Prairie Township’s Beacon Hill Road and Hilliard Rome Road.
Deputies attempted to stop the alleged stolen vehicle, which collided into a Honda Civic in Prairie Township after running a stop sign at Beacon Hill Road and Hilliard Rome Road. Matthew Moshi, a 36-year-old father of three, was the driver of the Honda. He died a few days later.
The Kia driver and three other youths, ages 14 and 15, were taken to OhioHealth Doctors Hospital for minor injuries. The driver is still being held at the Franklin County Juvenile Detention Center pending the hearing.
According to Jim Gilbert, chief deputy of the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, authorities “were steadfast in trying to seek the highest charge” and were fed up with children committing adult crimes.
“They aren’t simply stealing these cars for fun. “They’re doing it in order to commit serious crimes,” Gilbert explained. “I’m not buying it that this is just a 15-year-old kid anymore.”
“I see these kids making adult decisions without their parents knowing.” It’s heartbreaking.”
Moshi’s death is the latest in a series of tragedies involving stolen Kias and Hyundais, which have been an issue in Columbus since 2021.
According to Columbus police data, half of all vehicle thefts in the city in September involved a Kia or a Hyundai.
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