A heartbroken Michigan household was left in disbelief after the driving force who killed their son in a 105-mph crash throughout his school winter break was given a lightweight sentence that enables him to keep away from jail time.
Kiernan Tague, 18 — who was initially charged with second-degree homicide for killing Flynn MacKrell in a lethal crash in November 2023 — had the cost decreased to manslaughter with a motorcar final yr.
Tague, who was 16 on the time of the crash, was charged with grownup designation, that means that the decide may sentence him as a juvenile, as an grownup, or create a blended sentence, the Detroit Free Press reported.
Choose Mark McClory opted to condemn the teenager to serve probation at a Stage 2 juvenile placement facility, which is an out-of-home residential facility, on Friday.
His time on the facility will likely be decided by his progress, permitting him to be launched on probation as soon as he completes his therapy, in keeping with the Detroit Free Press.
Nevertheless, if Tague is discovered to violate any time period of his probation, he will likely be sentenced as an grownup to 19-38 months to be served on the Wayne County Detention Facility.
The sunshine sentencing has left MacKrell’s household outraged with the justice system.
“Do you know how much pain and energy and suffering it is to have no justice and still have no justice? I’ve spent the last year and a half, and I waited for that,” MacKrell’s heartbroken mom, Anne Vanker, advised WDIV outdoors the courtroom Friday.
As for Tague, Vanker stated he has as soon as once more not been held “accountable” for his actions.
“It’s a cunning, manipulative criminal individual who just once again was not held accountable for killing my son, so no, his fake tears are disgusting,” she stated.
His brother, Thaddeus MacKrell Jr., advised the courtroom earlier than Tague’s sentencing that he was “robbed” of a brother.
“I was robbed of seeing him graduate. I was robbed of being his best man. I was robbed of meeting his children,” he stated.
His father, Thad Mackrell, advised the decide, “Everything is dim,” since his son was killed within the reckless driving crash.
Tague, who was a neighbor and buddy of MacKrell, picked him up from his dad and mom’ dwelling in Grosse Pointe, a suburb of Detroit, on Nov.17 whereas he was dwelling from school over Thanksgiving break.
Nevertheless, simply minutes after selecting up Mackrell in a BMW X3 M sequence, Tague misplaced management of the car whereas touring 105 mph in a 25-mph zone and crashed right into a utility pole after which a tree — splitting the automotive in two.
Mackrell, a stand-out freshman swimmer on the College of Dayton, died on affect. Tague was transported to a close-by hospital with severe accidents, however survived.
Tague had a historical past of rushing and reckless driving earlier than the crash, investigators discovered, utilizing knowledge from the GPS monitoring app Life360.
Investigators additionally unearthed texts indicating Tague’s mom, Elizabeth Puleo-Tague, was conscious of her son’s carelessness behind the wheel and even known as him out for his rushing behavior in a textual content message two months earlier than the lethal wreck.
Regardless of being conscious of her son’s reckless driving, Puleo-Tague allowed her son to proceed to make use of her brand-new BMW.
Mackrell’s dad and mom in contrast Puleo-Tague’s conduct to that of the dad and mom of Oxford Excessive Faculty shooter, Ethan Crumbley, who have been held accountable for their youngster’s actions in a college capturing.
“She was sitting on a ticking time bomb. She knows he’s out of control, yet she basically gets him a weapon,” Vanker beforehand stated. “It’s like she handed him an AR-15.”
Vanker stated she was unaware of Tague’s driving behavior or dwelling life till after her son was killed and the investigation was launched.
Nevertheless, in December 2024, Wayne County prosecutors declined to cost the teenager’s mom, in keeping with the Detroit Free Press.
Throughout Friday’s sentencing listening to, Tague addressed the courtroom, saying he was remorseful for his actions.
“My heart is profoundly heavy with grief, regret and remorse,” Tague stated.
“What pains me most is that I know that any pain that I’ve experienced is nothing compared to what Flynn’s loved ones, especially his parents, sister, brother, and family, have experienced.”
