Cleveland
AI Assisted Icon
Published on January 21, 2025
Cleveland Man Convicted on Multiple Charges for Fatal High-Speed Crash and Resulting ExplosionSource: Cuyahoga County Sheriff's Office

Christopher Terry, 40, has been convicted of multiple charges following a high-speed crash into a Cleveland apartment building that resulted in a fatal explosion in November 2023. A Cuyahoga County jury found Terry guilty of involuntary manslaughter, vehicular assault, tampering with evidence, and failure to stop after an accident involving the property of others, as reported by WKYC. The conviction was handed down on Tuesday, and sentencing is set by Judge Ashley Kilbane for March 3.

According to Cleveland19, Terry's trial began last Monday with Officer Norman saying that he was driving over 120 MPH when he lost control of his Dodge Challenger. Crashing into the apartment building on E. 139th Street near Kinsman Road, the impact compromised a gas line and caused an explosion. Found in the wreckage the following morning was April Yarbrough, 69, the victim of the incident.

The explosion claimed the life of Yarbrough, and while her age has been reported as both 68 and 69 by different sources, what remains undebatable is the tragic nature of her death. As stated by Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael O'Malley, according to WKYC, "Christopher Terry made the idiotic decision to drive 100 mph over the speed limit causing a crash and an explosion that cost 68-year-old April Yarbrough her life," emphasizing the gravity of Terry's actions and their lethal consequences.

Following a manhunt, Terry was apprehended by the Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force in February 2024. "The car struck a gas line in the apartment building. It exploded minutes later, killing 68-year-old April Yarbrough, who was inside," said U.S. Marshals in a news release acquired by FOX8. Evidently, the force of the crash was such that several front yards and the porches of an apartment building and a nearby home were crashed through before culminating in the tragic explosion.