Suspect Arrested in Fatal Vero Beach Car Crash
A suspect has been arrested in connection with a car accident that killed 26-year-old Crystina Atkinson in Vero Beach on March 30.
According to the Vero Beach Police Department, Michael A. Slaughter Jr. was taken into custody on Wednesday. He faces charges of vehicular homicide, leaving the scene of an accident involving death, and driving with a suspended license.
Police confirmed Slaughter had a romantic relationship with Atkinson, and his DNA was found on the vehicle's airbag, which deployed during the crash.
At approximately 2:41 p.m. on March 30, authorities responded to a collision in the 3700 block of 43rd Avenue, where they discovered Atkinson deceased in the passenger seat of her vehicle. The car had collided with a utility pole, causing significant damage and snapping the pole into multiple pieces.
Atkinson was identified as the vehicle's owner, but the driver had initially fled the scene. The Vero Beach Police and Indian River County Sheriff's Office assisted in the arrest.
Slaughter is currently held at the Indian River County Jail on a bond set at $1,750,000.