Background: News footage of the scene where Alexa Stakely was killed on July 11, 2024 (WBNS). Inset: Alexa Stakely and her son (GoFundMe).
An Ohio teen suspected of driving a stolen SUV that tragically hit and killed its owner, while her 6-year-old son was inside, is set to be tried as an adult.
On July 11, 2024, Alexa Stakely, 29, was retrieving her 6-year-old son from a babysitter’s place after her shift. She realized she had left one of his things behind and quickly returned to the apartment, leaving the car running. In less than a minute, three teenagers allegedly attempted to take her SUV, not realizing the boy was asleep inside.
Stakely pursued the SUV through the parking area but was struck by it, suffering severe injuries that later proved fatal. The suspects left the car and fled the scene.
Now the teenager who was allegedly behind the wheel, 17-year-old Rayvon Hawkins, will be charged as an adult for murder.
Court documents reveal that on Sept. 3, a judge decided to transfer the case of Hawkins, who was 16 during the incident, from juvenile court to the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas. Hawkins, held at the Franklin County Juvenile Detention Center with a bond of $550,000, faces charges from a grand jury for murder, robbery, involuntary manslaughter, and not stopping after an accident.
The Columbus Division of Police’s report states that Hawkins turned himself in on July 24, 2024. Accompanied by his parents, Hawkins allegedly confessed that he and his friends were searching for a car to steal when they spotted Stakely’s Honda CR-V. He admitted to driving off in the SUV, unaware of the boy inside.
Hawkins claimed that Stakely appeared in front of the vehicle, prompting him to panic and speed away. He allegedly hit Stakely, resulting in fatal injuries, and then abandoned the vehicle to escape with his friends. Fortunately, the boy was unharmed, but Stakely succumbed to her injuries at the hospital later that day.
Also charged in connection to Stakely’s death was 20-year-old Gerald Dowling. Dowling, who was 19 years old at the time of the crime, pleaded guilty in July to involuntary manslaughter. He was sentenced in August to seven to 10 1/2 years in prison. The third teenager, also 16 years old at the time, was found delinquent of charges in Franklin Juvenile Court. According to the Columbus Dispatch, he was sentenced to a minimum of one year at the Ohio Department of Youth Services and could remain there until he turns 21.
Hawkins is scheduled to appear in court for the first time since being charged as an adult on Sept. 26.
