Teen Charged In Deadly Grosse Pointe Farms Crash: Prosecutor

GROSSE POINTE FARMS, MI — A Grosse Pointe teen is facing charges in connection with a deadly Grosse Pointe Farms crash last November, according to the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office.

Flynn Mackrell, 18, of Grosse Pointe, was killed after a speeding BMW X3 crashed into a light pole in the area of Ridge and Moran roads around 9 p.m. on Nov. 17, 2023, according to the prosecutor's office.

Officers found Mackrell dead while belted into the car's passenger seat, and the accused teen belted in the driver's seat, according to the prosecutor's office.

The driver, whom prosecutors only identified as a 17-year-old, was injured in the crash and taken to a nearby hospital where the teen recovered from their injuries, according to the prosecutor's office.

The 17-year-old teen was charged with second-degree murder. The teen was not charged as an adult, but was "adult designated," meaning a judge has the option of sentencing the teen as a juvenile or an adult, if convicted on the charge, according to the prosecutor's office.

The teen was placed in jail on a $10,000 bond. The teen's next court date is scheduled for April 3.

Prosecutors said the 17-year-old teen was speeding in the BMW X3 in a residential area, before losing control of the car and leaving the roadway, striking a utility pole and a tree and fatally wounding Mackrell.

"The evidence in this case will show that the defendant was driving in a residential neighborhood at speeds that rival speeding on our Michigan freeways. Sadly, Mr. Mackrell lost his life as a result. We know that the rules of the road exist for a reason, speed kills. Driving 25 in a residential neighborhood is mandated, not a mere suggestion," Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said.