MEMPHIS, Tenn.– A 19-year-old woman was indicted Tuesday on vehicular homicide charges in the death of high school, college and professional basketball player Galen Young, Shelby County District Attorney General Amy Weirich announced.
Investigators said the crash happened around 2:45 a.m. on June 5, 2021 as Miracle Rutherford was speeding southbound on Horn Lake Road towards Shelby Drive in southwest Memphis.
Rutherford’s car crossed two northbound lanes, left the road, continued through a yard and went airborne, striking the corner of a frame house in the 4500 block of Horn Lake.
Police responded to the crash and no injuries were reported at the scene. A woman in the house told police she lived there with her adult son, but he was not home.
Several hours later, other family members came to help remove furnishings and debris from the crash site and discovered the body of the son, 45-year-old Leslie Galen Young. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Young was a former basketball standout at Hillcrest High School and for the UNC-Charlotte 49ers where he was named MVP in the 1999 C-USA Tournament. He also played professionally in the U.S. and abroad for 13 years.
A grand jury returned the indictment against Rutherford, alleging that she drove recklessly and created a substantial risk of death or serious bodily injury. She remains free on a $30,000 bond.