Charges upgraded to murder: Prosecutors seek life sentence for suspect in deadly Casselberry crash
SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. - A suspected drug trafficker accused of killing two brothers in a high-speed crash is now charged with second-degree murder – in which prosecutors are seeking a life sentence.
Marquaious Tayvon Wheaton, 26, initially faced two counts of vehicular homicide after deputies said he sped down a Casselberry road at over 100 mph and crashed into Christopher Marier, 42, and Tyler M. Marier, 40. The brothers died at the scene.
What we know:
Wheaton was denied bond after his July 7 arrest in which a high-speed crash led to his vehicle flipping over and bursting into flames and two men dead.
Prosecutors are seeking a life sentence, saying that Wheaton's actions reveal a "depraved mind and a corrupt disregard for the lives and safety of others," the office said in a July 15 statement.
The prosecutor's office upgraded Wheaton's charges from vehicular homicide, believing the evidence supports a conviction.
"We want him off our streets and out of the community for good," State Attorney William Scheiner said. "He knowingly risked countless lives before ending two in the blink of an eye. The victims and their grieving families deserve our best effort at justice."
A Florida man accused of killing two brothers in a high-speed crash was denied bond after being charged with multiple felonies.
High-speed crash leads to 2 dead
Around 11:50 a.m., July 7, the Seminole County Sheriff's Office attempted to pull Wheaton over at a traffic stop in Sanford, but he drove off. Wheaton was identified as a suspected fentanyl trafficker, the sheriff's office said.
According to a sheriff's office report, Wheaton was observed on July 7 to have unlawful tint on his windows. Wheaton was known to the sheriff's office as someone with a criminal history, including trafficking over four grams of fentanyl.
Wheaton was reported to be driving with a "complete disregard for the public's safety," recklessly, driving on the wrong side of the road and passing vehicles on the shoulder.
At the intersection of U.S. Highway 17-92 and Sunnytown Road in Casselberry, traveling over 100 mph, Wheaton hit another vehicle, killing the Marier brothers inside, the report said.
Wheaton was taken out of his wrecked vehicle, which had flipped upside down, and was taken into custody.
What's next:
Wheaton was on felony probation at the time of the crash. He also faces a separate violation-of-probation action in Seminole County that would reopen his original case and could imprison him long term, the state attorney's office said.
The Source: Information in this story was gathered from the State Attorney's Office in the 18th Judicial Circuit of Florida.