Houston man charged in deadly Christmas Day street racing wreck
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- The grandson of a man killed by an alleged street racer, is glad to see the driver has been charged.
25-year-old Devante K. Franklin is facing charges for the Christmas Day street racing crash that killed two people.
One of the two killed is 62-year-old grandfather Johnny Patterson.
ORIGINAL REPORT: 2 killed in crash with two Mustangs racing at high speed on Highway 249
"I was just looking forward to coming back from school and spending time with him but I don't get that anymore so it's something I just have to live with now," said Malik Brumley, Patterson's grandson.
Franklin has been charged with two counts of racing resulting in a death and one count of racing resulting in serious bodily injury.
The crash happened on Highway 249 near the Beltway in the middle of the day.
Investigators say the drivers of two mustangs, Franklin and Kevin Strong, were racing and swerving through traffic.
They are blamed for causing the crash that involved three cars and an SUV.
Harris County Prosecutor Sean Teare said Strong's vehicle indicated he was going 114 mph and witnesses reported Strong and Franklin were racing.
"The total disregard for anyone else that was out that day, Christmas Day, middle of the day," said Sean Teare, Harris County Vehicle Crimes Prosecutor.
The speed limit on that stretch of Highway 249 is 45 miles per hour.
At one point, Strong, who was in his mid-forties, t-boned Patterson's SUV and then hit an Acura.
Strong died at the hospital.
Patterson was also killed.
"It's Christmas Day, what possible reason do you have to be going that fast?," said Brumley.
The two people in the Acura, both in their twenties, were injured but recovered.
Teare believes Franklin raced before.
"We believe he is, the defendant, Mr. Franklin, is highly involved in street racing around Harris County," said Teare.
In fact, on Franklin's Twitter account, his bio says in part, "I live life by the quarter mile, street racing."
The charges Franklin is facing are second-degree felonies. He faces up to 20 years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine.
