Two months before she ran her Hyundai Sonata into a concrete median on Page Road at nearly 100 mph, a state trooper had already caught Nyasia Palmer driving 101 mph in a 65 mph zone in Orange County. That earlier stop didn't stop what happened next: a crash that killed 22-year-old UNC-Chapel Hill senior Elijah Hawkins-Maynor and left another passenger paralyzed from the waist down.
Palmer, now 25, was sentenced after pleading guilty on March 30 to felony death by vehicle and felony serious injury by vehicle, according to the Raleigh News & Observer. The remaining charges against her, including the original second-degree murder count, were dismissed as part of the plea deal. Durham Superior Court Judge Brenda Branch sentenced Palmer to a minimum of five years and four months and a maximum of seven years and five months in prison, with eligibility for advanced supervised release after just four years and three months.
A Crash Near Duke Health in the Early Morning Hours
The crash happened at about 3 a.m. near Duke Health Center Arringdon on Page Road on October 5, 2023, when Palmer lost control of her car, which slid over a concrete median, hit several trees, and landed on its roof. Hawkins-Maynor was pronounced dead at the scene. Two passengers were hospitalized with serious injuries, including Rahman Mateen, who was paralyzed from the waist down.
Investigators determined Palmer was driving nearly 70 mph over the 45 mph speed limit just five seconds before impact, and her Sonata was traveling 91 mph when it first struck a tree, per the News & Observer's reporting. An investigator wrote that Palmer applied full throttle until a few seconds before impact and showed no signs of braking. Hawkins-Maynor's father told police his son had called a friend during the ride and said the driver was speeding over 100 mph.
Palmer admitted to officers that she had been driving and had consumed three shots of tequila that night; her blood alcohol concentration measured 0.09, and she had also used THC. Search warrants cited by the newspaper indicate investigators theorized Palmer may have intentionally caused the crash, though that theory did not become part of the charges she ultimately pleaded to.
A Pattern of Speeding Before the Fatal Night
Durham Police originally charged Palmer with second-degree murder, felony death by vehicle, two counts of felony serious injury by vehicle, driving 113 mph in a 45 mph zone, and driving while her license was revoked, according to Spectacular Magazine, which reported she was held in the Durham County Jail without bond after her arrest. At the time of the crash, Palmer's license had already been revoked, and she had pleaded guilty to traffic-related offenses at least five times before, per the News & Observer.
North Carolina law provides for automatic license suspension or revocation in some circumstances, including exceeding 75 mph where the limit is below 70 mph, exceeding 80 mph in a 70 mph zone, and two or more speeding convictions over 55 mph within a 12-month span, according to WRD Law, with those suspensions enforced by the NCDMV. Palmer moved to Durham from Wisconsin to play basketball for N.C. Central on a full scholarship; she was a 5-foot-9 guard from Milwaukee who signed her National Letter of Intent in April 2019 and played two seasons for the Eagles women's basketball team, according to North Carolina Central University Athletics.
How the Charges Were Reduced to a Plea Deal
The gap between the original second-degree murder charge and the felony death by vehicle plea reflects a specific legal threshold. Felony death by vehicle is a Class D felony for unintentional deaths tied to impaired driving, while escalating a case to second-degree murder requires prosecutors to prove malice — defined as depraved recklessness showing total disregard for human life — according to the Powers Law Firm.
Palmer's early-release eligibility stems from North Carolina's Advanced Supervised Release program, created under the state's 2011 Justice Reinvestment Act. The program allows eligible Class D and E felony offenders to be released before their minimum sentence if they complete court-ordered risk reduction programs without a prosecutor's objection, per the UNC School of Government. Judge Branch ordered Palmer to complete substance abuse and mental health treatment while incarcerated, and she received credit for 45 days already spent in jail before her plea. Per court records cited by the News & Observer, Palmer will likely be released on supervision in spring 2030.
A Student Remembered for Faith and a Future Cut Short
Hawkins-Maynor was a senior studying exercise sports science and a member of the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity at UNC-Chapel Hill, where he maintained a 3.7 GPA, according to Blavity. Witnesses inside the vehicle said he was praying in the moments before impact, wearing a shirt printed with the words “Trust God.”
His parents, Rosalind and Almer Reddick, created the EJHM Foundation in his honor, writing that it would serve as a legacy to Elijah Jayden Hawkins Maynor. The foundation awards $500 scholarships to 15 students each year and offers mentorship and resources to people in need.
A Long Recovery for the Surviving Passenger
Rahman Mateen, who was working toward becoming a sports agent, was riding as a passenger when the car rolled and suffered a severe spinal cord injury. He had raised just over half of a $12,000 goal for a wheelchair-accessible vehicle and related medical costs, per the News & Observer's reporting.
Traffic fatalities across the state climbed 29 percent over the decade leading into 2025, per WCNC Charlotte.
