Judge reinstates third-degree murder charges in crash that killed Pennsylvania troopers, pedestrian
Judge reinstates third-degree murder charges in crash that killed Pennsylvania troopers, pedestrian
A judge has reinstated third-degree murder charges against Jayana Webb, the woman accused of driving under the influence and fatally striking two Pennsylvania State Troopers and a pedestrian earlier this year.
PHILADELPHIA - A Philadelphia judge has reinstated third-degree murder charges against a woman accused of fatally striking two Pennsylvania State Troopers and a pedestrian on I-95 back in March.
The judge’s decision comes after third-degree murder charges against 21-year-old Jayana Webb were previously dismissed during a preliminary hearing back in June. At that time, bail was set at 10% of $600,000.
FOX 29’s Kelly Rule reports that Webb's bail will remain the same despite the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office pushing to have it revoked on Wednesday
Officials say she was under the influence of alcohol and behind the wheel of an SUV when it plowed into Trooper Branden Sisca, 29, Trooper Martin F. Mack III, 33, and Reyes Rivera Oliveras, 28, on I-95 in Philadelphia around 12:40 a.m. on March 21.
All three men were pronounced dead at the scene.
Webb faces a long list of charges in the incident, including third-degree murder, homicide by vehicle while driving under the influence, and two counts of second-degree manslaughter of a law enforcement officer.
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Sources told FOX 29 that Webb had a blood alcohol level twice the legal limit when she was tested after the crash.
Investigators were also looking into Webb’s social media accounts after a post she made in January appears to show her bragging about her ability to drive while under the influence of alcohol.
Law enforcement sources also say Mack and Sisca had conducted a traffic stop involving Webb's SUV a short time before the crash, but that stop was cut short as they responded to priority calls to get Oliveras, who was walking on the highway.
Officials say Trooper Mack, 33, joined the force in 2014, while Sisca, 29, only recently graduated from the academy and had enlisted in February of 2021. Sisca was also a Fire Chief of Trappe Fire Company in Montgomery County.
Both troopers were organ donors, and donated organs to the Gift of Life Program, according to a release from the Pennsylvania State Troopers Association.
Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner released the following statement after his office refiled the third-degree murder charges against Webb:
"The charge of 3rd degree murder was always appropriate for this defendant, whose actions we allege led to the violent deaths of Pennsylvania State Troopers Martin F. Mack, III, and Branden T. Sisca, and the man they were attempting to help, Reyes Rivera Oliveras. Assistant District Attorney Jessica Chung is a skilled, diligent, and capable prosecutor who will help deliver accountability for these tragic crimes and some measure of justice for three grieving families."