Background: News footage of the intersection in Grand Junction, Colo., where Gary Descheene was killed on Dec. 11, 2025 (KKCO). Insets (left to right): Jacob Morton and Kari Frederick (Grand Junction Police Department).
Two individuals from Colorado face charges related to an alleged street race that resulted in a pedestrian’s death late last year.
Jacob Morton, 21, and Kari Frederick, 54, were taken into custody on April 1 following a thorough investigation into the fatal incident involving 63-year-old Gary Descheene on December 11, 2025. According to the Grand Junction Police Department, both individuals have been charged with engaging in a speed contest and reckless driving. Morton faces additional charges, including two counts of vehicular homicide, with one count alleging he was under the influence of drugs at the time.
The Daily Sentinel, a local news source in Grand Junction, acquired an arrest affidavit detailing the incident. The document states that Morton and Frederick were driving a Dodge Challenger and a Toyota Camry, respectively, when they allegedly began racing each other.
The affidavit reveals that Descheene was crossing the street in a crosswalk at approximately 8:30 p.m. on December 11, 2025, when Morton, reportedly behind the wheel of the Challenger, struck him. Frederick, who witnessed the tragic event, later told authorities, “that it could have been [her].” However, when questioned, Frederick denied any premeditated racing with Morton.
Upon interviewing Morton, police received a conflicting narrative. He admitted to engaging in a back-and-forth driving duel with Frederick, where they would alternately accelerate and overtake one another. The affidavit notes discrepancies in Morton’s account, particularly regarding the exact locations where the racing allegedly began and ended. Initially, he claimed the racing commenced near an intersection a few blocks from the crash site, only to later state that was where it ceased.
Investigations confirmed that both Morton and Frederick were speeding before the collision. Frederick was reportedly driving 22 mph over the speed limit moments before the incident, while Morton was allegedly traveling at 67 mph when the collision with Descheene occurred.
Police said Morton admitted to smoking “two puffs of marijuana ‘leaf’” about four hours before he got behind the wheel. According to the affidavit, his field sobriety test was “unsatisfactory.” A blood draw revealed a level of THC that fell exactly at the legal threshold for “permissible inference” of impairment.
While police said Frederick was not directly involved in the crash, they wrote in the affidavit that her speeding was “reckless.”
Both Morton and Frederick posted bond and were released from the Mesa County Detention Center. Morton is scheduled to appear in court on April 8; Frederick is scheduled to appear on April 24.
