17-year-old charged with murder in death of innocent driver killed during high-speed chase
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A 17-year-old suspect accused of crashing into the car driven by a city employee Saturday morning, is now charged with murder.
Chidi Onunkwo appeared Sunday night in probable cause court. His bond was set at $250,000.
Onunkwo is accused of stealing a car at gunpoint. When a DPS trooper initiated a traffic stop, Onunkwo sped away, according to the charge against him.
The stolen car was estimated to be traveling at 83 miles per hour when it slammed into the sedan driven by 60-year-old Adorn Strambler.
It was later learned that Strambler was a senior paralegal with the City of Houston legal department, where she had worked for years.
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She died at the scene.
Onunkwo briefly escaped custody when officers were attempting to place handcuffs on him. He was quickly apprehended.
Both Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner and HPD Chief Art Acevedo expressed condolences to Strambler's family, including her 'work family.'
The charge against Onunkwo was increased from felony evading arrest to murder because he already committed a crime when the crash occurred.
