David Fred Johnson was arrested Sunday in connection with the April 12 collision on Route 22 that killed Alexandria residents Margaret Dick, 84, and Donald Dick, 86. WTAJ reported he faces two counts each of third-degree murder, vehicular homicide and involuntary manslaughter, along with summary traffic violations.
Court status
Magisterial District Judge Lisa Covert denied Johnson bail, citing a public-safety risk, and he was held at Huntingdon County Prison. His preliminary hearing was scheduled for Nov. 4, according to WTAJ.
Crash details cited in reports
The Toyota Camry carrying the Dicks and Johnson’s BMW collided on Route 22, also known as William Penn Highway, at about 3:30 p.m., WTAJ reported. Tri-State Alert placed the crash near Prayer Mountain Drive in Morris Township.
WTAJ reported that investigators reviewed the BMW’s computer system and found a recorded speed of 142 miles per hour about five seconds before the collision. The speed and other conduct described in the reports are allegations; Johnson is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
Relevant state-law definitions
Pennsylvania law classifies third-degree murder as a first-degree felony and defines it as a form of murder other than first- or second-degree murder, according to the state statute.
The state’s homicide-by-vehicle statute covers a death caused recklessly or with gross negligence while violating a traffic law; it classifies the offense as a third-degree felony when the violation causes the death, according to the Pennsylvania General Assembly.
How the homicide charges differ
The charges carry different legal standards. In a nonprecedential decision, the Pennsylvania Superior Court said third-degree murder requires malice, defined as “extreme indifference to human life,” according to the court. The homicide-by-vehicle statute described above, by contrast, addresses deaths caused recklessly or with gross negligence while violating a traffic law.
Speeding in fatal crashes statewide
PennDOT’s 2024 Pennsylvania Crash Facts and Statistics says speeding continues to be a big contributor to fatal crashes statewide. That broad finding does not establish what caused this crash, and it does not quantify speeding’s share or describe year-to-year changes.
In a separate case, Skook News reported that Rafael Angel Ceballos faces charges after a fatal Interstate 81 crash in Schuylkill County. Its account says investigators calculated that his Honda was traveling 114.3 miles per hour in a 65-mph zone.
