A 17-year-old was rushing at over 100 mph on a residential road within the prosperous Detroit suburb of Grosse Pointe final November when he misplaced management, sliced his mom’s BMW X3 M in two, and killed his 18-year-old passenger. The driving force who survived the catastrophic high-speed crash was Kiernan Tague, an unruly younger man who had at the least 22 documented contacts with the police since 2018 for numerous causes, together with assaulting his mom. Tague was charged with 2nd-degree homicide and is awaiting trial, and now the sufferer’s household believes there may be sufficient proof to pursue prison fees in opposition to his mom, Elizabeth Tague, who purchased the automobile used within the crash.
Tague’s passenger he killed within the crash was 18-year-old faculty freshman and swimmer Flynn MacKrell, who was recognized to be mild, selfless and imaginative. MacKrell’s household is utilizing the precedent set by the Crumbley trials following the 2021 lethal mass taking pictures at Oxford Excessive Faculty to go after Tague’s mom. Within the Crumbley trials, the mother and father of Ethan Crumbley, who murdered 4 college students at his college, have been charged with involuntary manslaughter for getting and carelessly storing the gun their son used for homicide. The authorized arguments used in opposition to the Crumbley mother and father have been that they did not take cheap actions to forestall their baby from hurting others, like not placing a lock on the gun their son used to shoot up his college.
In a ugly parallel, regardless of damning proof from a household monitoring app known as Life360 that confirmed Elizabeth Tague how her son was a reckless driver who hit speeds above 150 mph within the household’s Audi coupe, she nonetheless purchased the model new BMW X3 M that Kiernan crashed. From the Detroit Free Press,
In July and August 2023, he hit speeds of 127 mph, 143 mph, 102 mph, 150 mph and 155 mph — all on separate days. Photographs of his speedometer monitoring these speeds have been discovered on his mobile phone.
Within the two weeks earlier than the deadly crash, Life360 recorded 94 journeys by Kiernan, almost half of them over 90 mph. The best velocity recorded was on Nov. 1, when he drove 153 mph for 20 miles.
Movies on Kiernan’s mobile phone present him drag racing twice, in September and October. One other video reveals him driving recklessly by means of the Millender Middle tunnel in downtown Detroit.
On Sept. 14, 2023, Elizabeth Tague texted her son: “Gradual the F—- down proper now!” A Life360 report confirmed him touring 123 mph.
About two weeks later, Kiernan bought a textual content from his sister a couple of Grosse Pointe woman who was killed by a drunk driver.
“Pace limits exist for a motive,” the sister texted her youthful brother.
Kiernan responded that he knew the sufferer, and stated: “Jesus. That’s tragic.”
Two hours later that very same day, he bought a textual content from his mother:
“I’ve screenshots of you doing 90 mph in the midst of the night time once I didn’t even know you had left (a good friend’s) lake home … And once more two weeks in the past going 123 mph simply because.”
The textual content continued: “And your obsession (phrase selection intentional) with automobiles having upwards of 600 hp – It’s not wholesome. It’s not secure. And it scares me to my bone.”
Three weeks later, Elizabeth Tague purchased the BMW.
Elizabeth Tague was effectively conscious of her son’s rushing habits earlier than she determined to buy the quicker and extra highly effective BMW X3 M, and on the night time that her son crashed, Elizabeth was in Canada and left the BMW keys at house. Kiernan had a historical past of unhealthy habits except for his rushing behavior:
In accordance with police data, Kiernan has had at the least 22 documented contacts with police since 2018. The vast majority of police calls contain Grosse Pointe Metropolis police responding to complaints that Kiernan was uncontrolled at house and breaking issues in the home.
“His mom repeatedly instructed responding officers that she was afraid of Kiernan,” an investigator writes in a report, including the teenager’s most up-to-date police contact earlier than the crash was on Aug. 30, 2023, when police have been known as to Kiernan’s home “as a result of he was yelling and throwing objects inside the home as a result of his mom refused to get him an American Categorical Gold Card.”
In 2020, police responded to a different name from the mother, who alleged “that Kiernan had simply assaulted her and fled the world.” In accordance with a police report, Kiernan was being picked up at his good friend’s home and have become offended at his mom. “Whereas within the entrance seat, Kiernan circled and started punching his mom (who was within the again seat) and even bit her on her hand.” Kiernan was arrested for home violence and lodged on the Wayne County youth house.
The Detroit Free Press discovered the police are within the technique of placing collectively a warrant request for Kiernan’s mom Elizabeth Tague, which is completed to find out if there’s sufficient proof to criminally cost somebody. Kiernan’s sufferer, 18-year-old faculty freshman Flynn MacKrell, was stated to be a relaxed 6-foot-4 swimmer recognized for his mild methods, simple smile and shaggy purple hair. He’s survived by each of his mother and father and his two elder siblings, 20-year-old Thaddeus MacKrell and 23-year-old Lily MacKrell. The unique reporting completed by the Detroit Free Press’ Tresa Baldas is extremely thorough, considerate, and well-written. Learn her article right here.
