Authorities said Khaliym Smith had remnants of marijuana in his system.
An Upper Pottsgrove man admitted he was high on marijuana and doing 81 mph when he rolled over his Jeep Wrangler in an Upper Providence Township crash last February that ejected and killed two of his passengers from Philadelphia.
Khaliym Zhappei Smith, 23, of the 100 block of Butternut Drive, pleaded guilty Friday to two counts of homicide by vehicle and DUI of a controlled substance, reckless driving, reckless endangerment of another person, and carrying a gun without a license, according to The Mercury. He is free on bail.
He faces up to 23 years in prison, according to authorities. Two other passengers, including his sister, survived the wreck.
At 2:32 a.m. Feb. 12, 2023, Smith crashed his car on South Collegeville Road at the Route 422 overpass, killing 22-year-old Maya Garner and 23-year-old Givonah “Gigi” Mitchell, per the report.
The speed limit on the road is 55 mph.
Sentencing was deferred by Montgomery County Common Pleas Judge Risa Vetri Ferman until a background investigation can be completed on the defendant.
Per the report, police responded to a crash involving multiple ejected occupants and found a 2021 Jeep Wrangler on its roof on the southwest corner of South Collegeville Road at the Route 422 overpass, police said.
Garner was found dead a short distance from the Jeep. Mitchell underwent lifesaving treatment at the scene and was taken via helicopter to a trauma center, but died from her injuries, per the report.
Per the article, Smith, his sister, and another man survived the crash, but were in critical condition and all taken to area hospitals.
A loaded ghost gun with an extended magazine was found next to the Jeep, per the report, and DNA on the gun was matched to Smith.
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using public court records.
