An Orange County Grand Jury has returned a true bill of indictment on all charges and one aggravating factor against 20-year-old Chandler Kania, according to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.
Kania is charged with three counts of second-degree murder, among other charges, in connection with a wrong-way crash on I-85 where three people were killed, in July.
The aggravating factor in the case is associated with allegations that Kania physically fought off members of the group who were attempting to restrain him from driving after several hours of drinking, according to officials. The District Attorney’s Office will be seeking additional aggravating factors in court.
Chandler Kania – who was a rising junior at UNC – is accused of driving his 2005 Jeep Wrangler the wrong way on I-85 for at least six miles before crashing head-on into a 2007 Suzuki, killing three of the four passengers – 49-year-old Felicia Harris, 46-year-old Darlene McGee and six-year-old Jahnice Baird.
Nine-year-old Jahnia King was the lone survivor from the Suzuki; she suffered two broken bones in her left leg and a broken right collarbone, according to officials.
Kania’s blood-alcohol content was a .17 the night of the crash, double the legal limit to drive in North Carolina, according to court records.
The 20-year-old Kania is recovering from broken bones suffered in the crash at his parent’s home in Asheboro after posting a $1 million bond.
Two Chapel Hill businesses, He’s Not Here and La Res, have received offers in compromise from the North Carolina ABC Commission for charges of serving underage patrons, including Kania, the night of the crash.
Chandler Kania will now be scheduled to appear in Superior Court at least 30 days out from the indictment, according to the DA’s Office.
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