HENRICO COUNTY, Va. (WTVR) – The Thursday death of 27-year-old Jessica Gallmeyer came days after the car she was a passenger in crashed into the Chickahominy River.
Her step-sister, fifteen-year -old Amanda Irby, died on Wednesday at VCU Medical Center from injuries sustained in the crash.
Police said the two were riding with 23-year-old Andrew Taylor Walters when he crashed his car into the water after trying to evade police.
He was speeding away from a traffic stop after police pulled him over for erratic driving on Williamsburg Rd. at Elko Rd. Fire officials said both women were in cardiac arrest when they were pulled from the car, but that both resuscitated and regained a pulse on the way to the hospital.
Walters, of the 7400 block of Ambrose Drive in Mechanicsville, was previously charged with 2nd Offense — Driving while Operator’s License is Suspended, Felony Disregarding the Signal of a Law Enforcement Officer to Stop (Eluding) and Providing False Information to a Law Enforcement Officer.
No additional charges have been place at this time.
“Crash Team Officers are working with the Commonwealths Attorney’s Office to determine if additional charges will be brought as a result of these deaths,” police said.
"This is a case where the original charge would have probably been a misdemeanor, driving under a suspended license, which you might serve a number of days in jail for. With a split second decision now he could be looking at first degree murder or second degree murder, more likely with a felony murder charge because he could be charged for the accident murder in the condition of a felony which is eluding the police," said CBS 6 Legal Analyst, Todd Stone.
CBS 6 took a look into Walters' past, and found this isn't the first time he's been in trouble with the law.
According to court documents, Walters plead guilty to assualt and battery of a family member in May of last year, as well as an assault on law enforcement officer in September of 2009.
