Dallas, Texas – An incident that unfolded in Southeast Dallas over the weekend resulted in the death of a woman who was a backseat passenger in a stolen car. The crash, which occurred on Murdock Road south of the CF Hawn Freeway, led to murder and theft charges against the suspect, Darion Thomas, who survived the incident.
The sequence of events leading to the tragic accident began at a gas station, where Darion Thomas saw an opportunity to steal a black Honda Accord. According to police reports, the car’s owner and her husband had left the vehicle running with their friend, Karen Mariela, a 32-year-old from Honduras, lying down in the backseat. Seizing the moment, Thomas took the car, only to discover Mariela’s presence as he drove away.
In an attempt to escape, Thomas accelerated the stolen vehicle to an alarming speed, reportedly exceeding 200 miles per hour. The high-speed chase ended in disaster when the car struck a power pole and burst into flames. A nearby security camera captured the moment of impact, which not only resulted in the vehicle catching fire but also led to Mariela being ejected onto the street.
The community was left in shock as details of the incident came to light, including Thomas’s confession to a witness that he had stolen the car to get to work and his subsequent plea for a gun to end his life.
The arrest warrant affidavit sheds light on the terrifying final moments of Mariela’s life. As she began yelling at Thomas for his reckless driving, he only increased speed, ultimately leading to the fatal crash. The community mourns the loss of Mariela, whose unexpected death has sparked a conversation about vehicle safety and the dire consequences of criminal actions.
Jesse Carr from the Dallas Police Department clarified that the incident is not classified as a carjacking, given that the car was left unattended with keys in the ignition and doors unlocked.
