Man Charged With 3 Counts Of 2nd-Degree Murder In Edmond Crash That Killed 3

<p>A man has been charged with three counts of second-degree murder in a crash that killed three people back in April in Edmond, Oklahoma.&nbsp;</p>

Tuesday, August 30th 2016, 11:48 am

By: News 9


A man has been charged with three counts of second-degree murder in a crash that killed three people back in April in Edmond, Oklahoma.

Formal charges have been filed against 35-year-old David Steven Blair II on Tuesday, August 30.

The crash happened on April 17 on southbound Interstate 35 just north of Covell Road in Edmond. Authorities said Blair was driving a 1999 Ford Expedition northbound on I-35 and witnesses reported seeing him speeding, changing lanes unsafely, passing other vehicles on the grass median to the left of the fast lane, on the right hand shoulder and on exit ramps. It was raining at the time as well.

Oklahoma Highway Patrol (OHP) troopers said Blair approached the Covell Road overpass, still driving in a reckless manner in the rain. He reportedly drove through the cable barrier dividing the north and southbound lanes, entered the grass median and steered the vehicle to the right. Authorities said this indicates that he was in control of the vehicle.

According to the OHP, Blair's vehicle traveled northbound parallel to the highway through the grass for over 200 feet. No physical evidence at the scene was found that would suggest Blair tried to stop the vehicle in the median.

Troopers said Blair steered the vehicle to the left, entering the southbound lanes while going northbound. That’s when his vehicle struck the side of a Honda Pilot, causing damage to it. Blair’s vehicle then crashed head-on into a 2013 Chrysler Town and Country, driven by 43-year-old Philip Hess, which was southbound at the time.

Hess and his 2-year-old daughter, who was in the passenger seat at the time, were both killed in the crash.

A passenger in Blair’s vehicle, 43-year-old Tiffany Robin Valenzuela, was also killed.

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