A 19-year-old North Carolina woman is facing two murder charges after allegedly driving drunk in the wrong direction on a busy Charlotte interstate without her headlights on, triggering a devastating three-vehicle crash that killed two women and seriously injured two others.
Kati Gissel Covarrubias-Barron was arrested Sunday, October 18, following the early-morning collision on Interstate 277 near downtown Charlotte.
According to investigators, the teenager had never obtained a valid driver’s license and allegedly admitted to consuming approximately five alcoholic drinks in the two hours before the crash.
The two women killed were identified as My’Angel Vonshay Robinson and Audrey Diamond Dawson, both passengers in a Hyundai Venue struck by the suspect’s Toyota RAV4.
The tragedy unfolded shortly after midnight along the Brookshire Freeway portion of I-277, near Independence Boulevard.
According to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, Covarrubias-Barron entered the interstate before making a U-turn and traveling against oncoming traffic.
Surveillance footage reportedly captured the Toyota traveling in the wrong direction with its headlights turned off.
Court documents indicate that the SUV traveled approximately a mile at speeds reaching 58 mph before colliding head-on with the Hyundai, which was traveling in the correct direction.
The impact sent the Hyundai into a third vehicle, a Chevrolet Equinox, leaving all three vehicles damaged and scattering debris across the highway.
Emergency responders from Charlotte Fire Department and Mecklenburg EMS Agency rushed to the scene, where they found several people injured.
Robinson, who had been riding in the Hyundai’s back seat, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Dawson, who was sitting in the front passenger seat, was transported to a hospital with life-threatening injuries but later died.
Two other occupants of the Hyundai suffered serious injuries and were hospitalized.
The three people traveling in the Chevrolet Equinox were conscious when emergency crews arrived, while Covarrubias-Barron and her passenger were also found conscious.
Investigators quickly began examining what caused the Toyota to enter the highway in the wrong direction.
According to arrest documents obtained by local television station WBTV, surveillance footage showed Covarrubias-Barron making the U-turn before continuing toward oncoming traffic.
Police said they suspected the teenager was impaired and arranged for her to be evaluated at the hospital.
During questioning, she allegedly admitted to drinking approximately five alcoholic beverages within two hours before getting behind the wheel.
Investigators also determined that she did not have a valid driver’s license.
The findings led prosecutors to pursue multiple criminal charges, including two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of felony serious injury by vehicle.
Covarrubias-Barron also faces charges of driving while impaired, driving after consuming alcohol while under the age of 21, driving without a license and reckless driving.
In North Carolina, second-degree murder charges can apply to certain fatal impaired-driving crashes when prosecutors allege conduct demonstrating malice or an extreme disregard for human life.
Such charges are more serious than ordinary misdemeanor driving offenses or involuntary manslaughter, although prosecutors must still prove the required elements in court.
Following her arrest, Covarrubias-Barron was booked into the Mecklenburg County Detention Center, where she was ordered held without bond.
Her next court appearance is scheduled for November 6.
As the legal case moves forward, the families of Robinson and Dawson are struggling with the sudden loss of two women whose lives were cut short during what should have been an ordinary drive.
Relatives have shared emotional tributes on social media, remembering the women for their personalities, close family bonds and the happiness they brought to those around them.
“My heart is hurting right now. This one hurts bad,” family member Reco Robinson wrote on Facebook.
He asked friends and relatives to keep both sides of the family in their prayers as they mourned the two women.
Another relative expressed disbelief over the tragedy, remembering the victims as two people who had been full of life.
The crash has also renewed concerns about wrong-way driving, particularly during overnight hours when visibility is limited and impaired motorists may have difficulty recognizing highway signs and entrance ramps.
According to the National Transportation Safety Board, alcohol impairment is a major contributing factor in fatal wrong-way crashes. Such collisions are especially dangerous because they frequently involve head-on impacts at highway speeds.
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department’s Major Crash Investigation Unit continues examining surveillance footage, physical evidence and witness statements as detectives reconstruct the events leading up to the collision.
Authorities have not announced additional charges, and the investigation remains active.
Anyone with information is encouraged to contact Detective D. Leung at 704-432-2169, extension 6, or submit an anonymous tip through Charlotte Crime Stoppers at 704-334-1600.
For the families of Robinson and Dawson, the crash has left an unimaginable loss, while two other victims continue recovering from serious injuries.
Covarrubias-Barron is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
