DeKalb County District Attorney
12/04/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 12/04/2024 14:29
DA BOSTON ANNOUNCES INDICTMENTS IN FATAL CRASH THAT KILLED LAKESIDE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT
December 4, 2024
DA BOSTON ANNOUNCES INDICTMENTS IN FATAL CRASH THAT KILLED LAKESIDE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT
State v. Hannah Hackemeyer
State v. Sumanth and Anindita Rao
Decatur, Ga.-DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston announces the indictments of three people connected to the single-vehicle crash that killed Lakeside High School student Sophia Lekiachvili, 18, and the events that led up to the crash.
Today, a DeKalb County Grand Jury indicted Hannah Hackemeyer, 18, the driver of the vehicle that crashed, on three counts of Homicide by Vehicle in the First Degree, three counts of Serious Injury by Vehicle, Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol Under the Age of 21, Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol Less Safe, Reckless Driving, and Possession of Open Container of Alcoholic Beverage in Passenger Area. Hackemeyer's case will be assigned to a Superior Court Judge and scheduled for an arraignment.
The Grand Jury also indicted Sumanth Rao, 50, and Anindita Rao, 49, the parents who allowed the three teenagers in the vehicle to drink in their home prior to the crash, on charges of Involuntary Manslaughter, Reckless Conduct and Maintaining a Disorderly House. Grand Jury warrants have been issued for the arrests of Sumanth and Anindita Rao. Their case will also be assigned to a Superior Court Judge and scheduled for an arraignment.
According to the investigation, at around 12:11 a.m. on February 24, 2024, officers with the DeKalb County Police Department responded to a 911 call about a single-vehicle crash on Oak Grove Road near Kirkland Drive. When police arrived, they found a blue, Mazda CX-5 flipped upside down in the roadway.
The driver, Hannah Hackemeyer, and her backseat passenger, Ananya Rao, were able to crawl out of the vehicle. A third occupant, Sophia Lekiachvili, was trapped in the front passenger seat. First responders extracted Sophia from the car and rushed her to the hospital where she later died from her injuries.
Data recovered from the car's airbag control module showed that Hackemeyer was speeding more than 60 miles per hour over the limit-hitting 98 just one second before the crash. The car's computer also revealed she never tapped the brakes.
Using both a Portable Breath Test and a blood test, investigators determined that Hackemeyer was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the crash with a Blood Alcohol Concentration of 0.046, which is more than twice the legal limit for someone under the age of 21.
Through the investigation, the District Attorney's Office also learned that Hackemeyer and her passengers, Sophia and Ananya, had spent the evening of February 23 at Ananya's house. The friends shared a bottle of wine in the kitchen of the home-in plain view of Ananya's parents-Sumanth and Anindita Rao.
Around 11:45 p.m., the teens told Mr. Rao that they wanted to go for a drive. The girls were allowed to leave and took an open bottle of wine with them into the vehicle.
The District Attorney's Office also learned that Sumanth and Anindita Rao knowingly allowed teenagers to drink in their home on several previous occasions.
"This crash was a foreseeable consequence of allowing underage drinking in their home and worse-allowing someone who they knew had consumed alcohol-to drive," said DA Boston. "We recognize that prosecuting these cases will not bring Sophia back, but we hope that by pursing justice in her death, we may prevent future tragedies."
DA BOSTON ANNOUNCES INDICTMENTS IN FATAL CRASH THAT KILLED LAKESIDE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT
State v. Hannah Hackemeyer
State v. Sumanth and Anindita Rao
Decatur, Ga.-DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston announces the indictments of three people connected to the single-vehicle crash that killed Lakeside High School student Sophia Lekiachvili, 18, and the events that led up to the crash.
Today, a DeKalb County Grand Jury indicted Hannah Hackemeyer, 18, the driver of the vehicle that crashed, on three counts of Homicide by Vehicle in the First Degree, three counts of Serious Injury by Vehicle, Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol Under the Age of 21, Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol Less Safe, Reckless Driving, and Possession of Open Container of Alcoholic Beverage in Passenger Area. Hackemeyer's case will be assigned to a Superior Court Judge and scheduled for an arraignment.
The Grand Jury also indicted Sumanth Rao, 50, and Anindita Rao, 49, the parents who allowed the three teenagers in the vehicle to drink in their home prior to the crash, on charges of Involuntary Manslaughter, Reckless Conduct and Maintaining a Disorderly House. Grand Jury warrants have been issued for the arrests of Sumanth and Anindita Rao. Their case will also be assigned to a Superior Court Judge and scheduled for an arraignment.
According to the investigation, at around 12:11 a.m. on February 24, 2024, officers with the DeKalb County Police Department responded to a 911 call about a single-vehicle crash on Oak Grove Road near Kirkland Drive. When police arrived, they found a blue, Mazda CX-5 flipped upside down in the roadway.
The driver, Hannah Hackemeyer, and her backseat passenger, Ananya Rao, were able to crawl out of the vehicle. A third occupant, Sophia Lekiachvili, was trapped in the front passenger seat. First responders extracted Sophia from the car and rushed her to the hospital where she later died from her injuries.
Data recovered from the car's airbag control module showed that Hackemeyer was speeding more than 60 miles per hour over the limit-hitting 98 just one second before the crash. The car's computer also revealed she never tapped the brakes.
Using both a Portable Breath Test and a blood test, investigators determined that Hackemeyer was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the crash with a Blood Alcohol Concentration of 0.046, which is more than twice the legal limit for someone under the age of 21.
Through the investigation, the District Attorney's Office also learned that Hackemeyer and her passengers, Sophia and Ananya, had spent the evening of February 23 at Ananya's house. The friends shared a bottle of wine in the kitchen of the home-in plain view of Ananya's parents-Sumanth and Anindita Rao.
Around 11:45 p.m., the teens told Mr. Rao that they wanted to go for a drive. The girls were allowed to leave and took an open bottle of wine with them into the vehicle.
The District Attorney's Office also learned that Sumanth and Anindita Rao knowingly allowed teenagers to drink in their home on several previous occasions.
"This crash was a foreseeable consequence of allowing underage drinking in their home and worse-allowing someone who they knew had consumed alcohol-to drive," said DA Boston. "We recognize that prosecuting these cases will not bring Sophia back, but we hope that by pursing justice in her death, we may prevent future tragedies."