Second defendant charged in connection with fatal high-speed crash

LANSING — A second man has been charged in connection with a high-speed April 2025 crash that killed a teenager and injured more than a dozen others during the incident on South Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

Keondre Stephan Morgan, 24, was arraigned on Thursday, Jan. 29, in 54-A District Court on felony charges of reckless driving causing death and reckless driving causing serious impairment of a body function.

Morgan’s arraignment comes weeks after his co-defendant, 19-year-old John-Jewel Velasquez-Hicks, appeared in court on the same charges. 

The charges stem from an April 24, 2025, multi-vehicle collision that authorities say was the result of a drag race.

Investigators say the crash involved five vehicles and resulted in the death of a 15-year-old boy who was a passenger in the Chevrolet Malibu driven by Velasquez-Hicks. The teenager was ejected from the vehicle and died days later. Thirteen others were injured in the wreckage.

Police allege the Malibu was traveling at speeds exceeding 90 mph in a 45 mph zone at the time of the collision. After the initial impact, the Malibu reportedly veered into oncoming traffic and struck a vehicle traveling northbound, leaving that driver with serious leg injuries.

Morgan, a resident of Delta Township with a Lansing mailing address, was 23 at the time of the incident. He was released on a $3,000 personal recognizance bond following his arraignment before Magistrate Laura A. Millmore.

As part of his bond conditions, Morgan is prohibited from using alcohol or non-prescription drugs, is barred from traveling out of state, and may not possess firearms or other dangerous weapons.

Defense Attorney Frederick J. Blackmond has filed an appearance on behalf of Morgan and has already entered a demand for a jury trial, according to court records.

Under Michigan law, reckless driving causing death is a felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison. Reckless driving causing serious impairment carries a maximum penalty of five years.

Morgan is scheduled to appear before Judge Kristen D. Simmons for a probable cause conference on Feb. 5, followed by a preliminary examination on Feb. 12. 

Velasquez-Hicks is also scheduled to appear before Simmons; his preliminary examination was originally set for late January.