Macon man found guilty Friday in 2012 crash that killed mother, daughter
A Macon man was found guilty on two counts of vehicular homicide Friday after he was accused of trying to beat a train, resulting in the deaths of his 1-month-old daughter and her mother in 2012.
A Houston County jury deliberated for two days before finding 49-year-old Willie Frank Lyons Jr. guilty on the charges, which also include running a stop sign, reckless driving and violation of a child safety restraint, according to the Houston County District Attorney’s Office.
On May 27, 2012, Donnell Reid, 31, and her 1-month-old daughter, Kinsley, of Macon, were killed after a train stuck a Chrysler PT Cruiser that Lyons was driving. Lyons, the child’s father, was trying to cross the Ignico Drive railroad crossing in Warner Robins. Lyons recovered from serious injuries that required hospitalization.
A sentencing hearing is expected next week, Chief Assistant District Attorney Erikka Williams said. Lyons faces up to 15 years in prison for each count of vehicular homicide, and Williams said he could face up to 12 months for each misdemeanor.
“We are extremely pleased with the verdict the jury returned,” Williams said after the five-day trial. “It was a very long week for them, and I’m very pleased that they were able to consider all the evidence and really thoroughly make the decision. … I could tell it was hard for them.”
Lyons was charged in the indictment with disregarding a stop sign, ignoring visual warning lights and trying to cross the railroad tracks in front of an oncoming train.
Robert Surrency, an assistant public defender representing Lyons, said he was extremely disappointed in the jury’s decision.
“We disagree with the jury's verdict, and we wonder how many of the jurors would have voted guilty if they knew that next Friday there will be a sentencing hearing at which the state will ask for Willie Frank Lyons to spend 30 years in the state penitentiary,” Surrency said. “I want the jury to know that.”
During the trial, Williams contended that the crash was preventable, noting that Lyons tested positive for marijuana during a hospital test when being treated for injuries sustained in the crash. She said the drug slows reaction time.
She also argued that Lyons gambled by crossing the tracks, because he didn’t want to wait for the long train.
But Surrency argued that Lyons was not trying to beat the train. Surrency said Lyons did not see or hear the train.
The train was in Lyons’ blind spot as he turned from Hickman Street onto Ignico Drive, and Lyons’ PT Cruiser was too low to the ground for him to see the flashing signal lights on Ignico Drive when he made the turn, Surrency argued.
Lyons acknowledged making a “California stop,” or a rolling stop at the stop sign. He also admitted to smoking marijuana two days before the wreck but said he was not high when the crash occurred. He also said his daughter was strapped in her child seat when the crash occurred.
Surrency said Lyons was “at peace with the verdict because he got a chance to tell people he didn’t intentionally kill his child.”
The death of Reid and her daughter came on the heels of a string of accidents in recent years and prompted a community push to get a gate installed at the Ignico Drive railroad crossing ahead of schedule. The work was completed Aug. 1, 2012.
This story was originally published May 13, 2016 at 11:08 AM with the headline "Macon man found guilty Friday in 2012 crash that killed mother, daughter."