Victim’s family urges judge to keep $3 million bond for driver accused in fatal crash

A Franklin County judge has refused to lower bond for a 31-year-old Chinese national accused of causing a wrong-way crash on Interstate 315 in May that killed one woman and seriously injured another, as the defendant entered a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity. Xiaoke Fan, 31, appeared in court in a wheelchair, with her attorneys saying she is still recovering from the crash. Her attorneys asked the Franklin County Common Pleas judge to reduce Fan’s $3 million bond, but the judge declined. Kaitlyn Spahr, a Columbus assistant city prosecutor, was killed in the crash. “I don't want her to be a name on court papers; she is so much more than a victim,” said Rachel Spahr, Kaitlyn's twin sister as she made an emotional plea to the judge not to reduce bond. Spahr argued, “Miss Fan has no ties to Columbus, and is a flight risk, she is accused of committing crimes, killing my sister here,” Spahr said. Police say Fan was driving a stolen car the wrong way on Interstate 315 when she collided with Soogie Choi’s car. Choi told the court she suffered severe injuries. “She collided into me causing serious harm and killing my friend,” Choi said. Choi is expected to have more surgery Wednesday. According to charging documents, Choi and Spahr had just left a softball game when the car Choi was driving was struck by Fan. Fan’s attorney, Paul Wolfe, told the court Fan was days away from receiving her master’s degree and suffered what he described as a mental health crisis the night of crash. “Miss Fan had a sudden psychotic break that involved auditory hallucinations and paranoid delusions,” Wolfe said. Choi urged the court to keep Fan’s bond in place. “As unstable as she claims to be, it is better to have her within the safe confines of incarceration, where the public won't be harmed,” Choi said. Wolfe argued Fan is not a flight risk. “The only conceivable place she can go is China and without a passport she is not getting there,” Wolfe said. “She is not very mobile as you can see, she is not able to walk.” After the judge’s decision to keep the $3 million bond in place, Wolfe said, “We understand the court's ruling, disagree with it, but understand it.” Wolfe said Fan has entered a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity. “We have several witnesses describing that she didn't understand the rightfulness or wrongfulness, in this instant the wrongfulness of what she was doing,” Wolfe said. Choi questioned the plea, telling the court, “The defendant is more focused on portraying herself as an unfortunate victim of a mental health crisis, the reality she is not a victim at all, she is inconvenienced by the consequences of her own action.” Fan is expected to undergo a competency evaluation to determine whether she can assist in her defense. It was not known when that competency report would be completed.