A 36-year-old woman is being charged with first-degree murder for running over and killing a man with her SUV, according to Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton.
Leyton announced the charge on Tuesday, May 14.
A manager at the Speedway gas station at 509 S. Dort Highway in Flint, made a call to 911 saying a man was run over by a vehicle, and the vehicle drove away from the scene on Sunday, May 5 at 6:17 a.m., according to Leyton.
When Flint Police arrived on scene, they found the victim, 42-year-old William Charles Clemmons III, lying dead in the driveway of the gas station, Leyton said.
Investigators said before he died, Clemmons received multiple calls from a number which was registered to Candace Marie Patton, of Flint, according to Leyton.
Investigators discovered prior to the incident, there were angry, antagonistic text messages exchanged between the two, Leyton said, adding the texts suggested they had a relationship and it had gone south.
A search revealed Patton owned a 2012 Chevrolet Traverse, Leyton said, adding camera footage from the corner of Dort Highway and Carpenter Road showed a Traverse – having the same registration plate as Patton’s – run over Clemmons III and drove away.
Leyton said a search warrant was executed for the SUV, and the following evidence was seized:
- Black fiber under the SUV matching the victim’s clothing
- Imprints and images matching his clothing was found on the SUV’s exhaust pipe
- Human skin was found in the wheel well of the SUV
According to Leyton, the video and the information discovered during the investigation gives the prosecutor’s office probable cause for a case of first-degree murder.
Patton has been charged with first-degree murder and faces up to life in prison without the possibility of parole.