Lyft driver charged with murder in crash that killed Durham teacher, husband in Detroit: Officials

DURHAM, N.C. (WNCN) — A Durham teacher and her husband are dead after their Lyft driver crashed into a warehouse in Detroit last weekend, officials said Thursday. According to the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office in Michigan, Detroit police officers responded on Feb. 22 at around 10:15 a.m. to a crash in the 6000 block of Rosa Parks Boulevard. The officers found a vehicle that struck the loading dock door of a warehouse with two unresponsive passengers trapped inside. The passengers were identified as 57-year-old Carla Boynton and her husband, 60-year-old Andre Boynton, both of Durham. They were pronounced dead at the scene, according to county prosecutors. County prosecutors said the driver was identified as 40-year-old Theopris Mays of Herndon, Va., who was working for Lyft at the time of the incident. Mays is accused of driving recklessly at a high rate of speed before losing control and crashing into the warehouse, which killed the Boyntons. He is also accused of fleeing the scene on foot before he was taken into custody by Detroit police. County prosecutors said Mays is charged with two counts of second-degree murder, one count of reckless driving causing death, and one count of leaving the scene of an at-fault accident causing death. According to county prosecutors, Mays was given $500,000 bond on Wednesday. A bond redetermination hearing is scheduled for Friday and a probable cause conference is scheduled for March 5. At the time of her death, Carla Boynton was a teacher at the Durham School of Technology. "It is with deep sadness that we share the loss of Ms. Carla Boynton, a beloved member of the Durham School of Technology family and our broader community," Principal Lamont Dixon said in a statement. "Ms. Boynton was a kind, warm-hearted, and outstanding physical education teacher who spent her final three years at DST, bringing with her nearly 30 years of dedicated service to students. "Her smile and laughter radiated throughout every space she entered, and her genuine love for students and commitment to supporting them was evident in all she did," Dixon continued in his statement. "Ms. Boynton was not only a wonderful colleague, but also a devoted wife, mother of five, and grandmother. This is a tremendous loss for our school and community. "We ask that you keep the Boynton family and the DST community in your thoughts and prayers as we navigate this difficult time together."