Woman charged with reckless homicide, driving under the influence following deadly crash in downtown Indy

INDIANAPOLIS — An Indianapolis woman is facing 10 felony charges following a crash in downtown that left one man dead and three others wounded. A small cross marks the spot where 37-year-old Alex Melton lost his life. Melton was killed driving through the intersection of Madison Avenue and McCarty Street when police say he was hit by an intoxicated driver who sped through a red light. Known by friends and family as “Cheeze” because of his grin, Melton was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time when he was killed on a Saturday morning in late February. “When a mother loses her child a part of her dies too and I'm not the same person I was 3 months ago,” said the victim’s mother, Laura Melton Heaeling.Almost three months after the fatal crash, 23-year-old Estajah Bartley is now charged with causing Melton's death and injuring three others while driving intoxicated. Bartley is also charged with reckless homicide. A woman and her small child who were riding with Melton were also hurt in the collision, as was a passenger in the suspect’s car. “This is not an accident. This is the result of intentional actions that she needs to be held accountable for,” said Laura. A semi driver was stopped at a red light, facing northbound, at the intersection after exiting I-70 onto Madison Avenue. According to that witness and others on scene, Melton had a green light going east on McCarty when the Bartley ran the red light heading south on Madison. Data from Bartley's car showed she was driving over 60 miles an hour in a 25 mph zone. The suspect also allegedly had alcohol and THC in her system and was ruled to be intoxicated at the time of the crash.According to court records, after being told she killed somebody, the suspect showed no remorse and was more concerned about getting her cell phone back.“I would want her to see a picture I have of my son dead in the car. Maybe that would impress upon her that her phone wasn't that important,” said Laura.Numbers compiled by Mothers Against Drunk Driving claim someone is injured or killed in a drunk driving crash every 79 seconds somewhere in the United States.While Laura won't ever get over the pain of losing her son, she said innocent lives can be saved if people make better decisions before and after they get behind the wheel.“Everybody's decisions have consequences good or bad, but no one stops to think about what those consequences might be,” said Laura. “Everybody thinks it’s not gonna happen to me until it happens to you.  Don't be stupid.” The suspect is due in court for her initial hearing on Tuesday. She is eligible for a $10,000 cash bond pending trial.