This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A 16-year-old girl has been charged with murder for allegedly causing a crash on purpose that killed two people Thursday in Roy.
Marilee Patricia Gardner was charged in state court in Ogden with two counts of first-degree-felony murder and two third-degree felonies for failure to stop at the command of police and leaving the scene of a fatal accident.
Gardner was traveling about 100 mph in a 45 mph zone early Thursday when she rear-ended a sedan with her SUV, sending the car into a traffic signal pole near 6000 South and 3500 West, according to charging documents. The driver of the sedan, 20-year-old Madison Haan, of West Point, was dead at the scene. The 19-year-old passenger, Tyler Christianson, of Ogden, was transported to a hospital, where he died from his injuries.
Charges state Gardner fled the area about 12:10 a.m. and went to a nearby grocery store to call her father. When she was brought into custody about half an hour later, Gardner told officers the crash was an attempt to kill herself.
Gardner stole her parents' SUV earlier in the evening with the intent to meet a 17-year-old friend; the two planned to take drugs and crash the car as part of a "suicide pact," charges state. Police were following Gardner shortly before the fatal crash as she dragged a trash can behind the SUV. When she did not stop, officers suspended the pursuit due to safety concerns.
She is being held without bail, according to a court docket. Gardner's initial appearance is scheduled for Wednesday.
The Salt Lake Tribune typically does not identify juvenile suspects, but Gardner was charged as an adult because she was older than 13 and is accused of murder.
Twitter: @CourtneyLTanner