An 18-year-old driver faces second-degree murder and felony serious injury charges following a fatal three-vehicle collision in Stallings. Police charged Mariaha N. Ladd after an extensive investigation into the crash that killed passenger Shannon Oxendine Bennett.
The collision occurred around 8:58 p.m. on July 19 in the 6100 block of Stevens Mill Road. According to the Stallings Police Department, Ladd was traveling northbound when she attempted to pass another vehicle in a designated no-passing zone, sideswiping an oncoming vehicle before striking a second vehicle head-on. Investigators determined speed, illegal passing and impairment were contributing factors in the crash.
A total of six people were involved in the collision, with four transported to local hospitals for medical treatment. Bennett, a passenger in the vehicle struck head-on, died from her injuries on July 22. She was a mother of four…