PITTSBURGH (AP) — A prosecutor is appealing a judge’s decision to reverse the involuntary manslaughter conviction of a woman because a faulty General Motors ignition switch.
The Allegheny County district attorney’s office said in Superior Court appeal notice last Thursday that Lakisha Ward-Green could have refused to plead guilty because the air bag failed to deploy, but chose not to.
The 25-year-old Penn Hills woman pleaded guilty to manslaughter and reckless driving in 2012 and served three months in jail before her attorney appealed citing the GM defect.
Police determined Ward-Green was driving 75 mph in a 35 mph zone before she crashed, killing 16-year-old Robert Chambers IV.
A judge reversed her conviction last Wednesday citing a GM recall for ignition switches that unexpectedly turn off, causing the cars to stall and disabling steering, brakes and air bags.
- Posted August 31, 2015
- Tweet This | Share on Facebook
Prosecutor appeals reversal in ignition-related fatality
headlines Oakland County
- Whitmer signs gun violence prevention legislation
- Department of Attorney General conducts statewide warrant sweep, arrests 9
- Adoptive families across Michigan recognized during Adoption Day and Month
- Reproductive Health Act signed into law
- Case study: Documentary highlights history of courts in the Eastern District
headlines National
- Could Trump’s judicial appointments slow in the new year?
- ACLU and BigLaw firm use ‘Orange is the New Black’ in hashtag effort to promote NY jail reform
- Practical guidance for ethically changing law firms
- ‘Christmas Lawyer’ uses settlement with homeowners association on more holiday decorations
- DOJ sues state officials over laws protecting immigrants at courthouses
- Building the case for trial in the last 60 days
