A 31-year-old man has been charged with driving under the influence and killing two 15-year-old girls after crashing his pickup truck Friday evening in South Anchorage, according to the Anchorage Police Department.
APD traffic investigators alleged Stacey Allen Graham of driving his red 2006 Toyota Tacoma pick-up truck east on Dimond Blvd, toward Abbott Road, in "a reckless manner and at a high rate of speed," based on witness statements.
"As Graham approached the Dimond/Abbott curve he apparently lost control of his vehicle," Dani Myren, APD spokesperson, said in a Saturday evening statement. "The pick-up truck left the roadway and swerved onto the bike-path located to west side of Abbott Road, just north of 88th Street, where 15-year-old Brooke McPheters and 15-year-old Jordyn Durr were walking."
The truck hit the two girls before crashing with a large business sign and resting on its side. According to police, the girls were reportedly walking home from the Dimond Center after shopping for back-to-school items. Both McPheters and Durr were pronounced dead on the scene.
Emergency responders removed the truck's roof to get Graham, who was transferred to an area hospital for injuries that were initially described as serious.
"While Graham remains in the hospital, his injuries are considered to be of a non-life-threatening nature," Myren said. "Preliminary alcohol tests indicate Graham was approximately three times the legal limit at the time of the crash. He has been charged with Operating Under the Influence and two counts of Murder 2."
Police also said "alcohol, reckless driving behaviors, speed and wet road conditions are all considered factors in the collision."
Contact Neil Torquiano
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Man Charged with Killing 2 Teenage Girls in South Anchorage Crash
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