Associated Press
SEATTLE — A woman accused of causing a fatal crash as she fled police in a stolen car was charged Wednesday with second-degree murder.
Michelle Gunderson, 21, of Seattle, would face up to 18 years in prison if convicted, said Dan Donohoe, a spokesman for the King County Prosecutor’s Office.
Gunderson would have faced a maximum of four years had she been charged with vehicular homicide.
According to charging papers, Kent police say they saw Gundersen drive a stolen Kia Sephia from the parking lot of a SeaTac motel on Dec. 19. When they tried to pull her over, she sped off at speeds of up to 100 mph.
The officers ended the chase, believing it to be too dangerous, but Gunderson continued, running a red light and broadsiding another car, court documents say. The passengers of the other car, Richard and Mary Lou Jones of Seattle, were killed.
Gunderson cut her knee and injured her heel in the crash, but tried to run away anyway, prosecutors allege. Witnesses detained her.
Police said Gunderson had drug paraphernalia when she was arrested. Blood tests results were pending.
She was scheduled to be arraigned Jan. 8.
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