A juvenile from Grosse Pointe was sentenced on Friday in connection with a deadly accident that occurred in Grosse Pointe Farms in 2023 and resulted in the death of Flynn Mackrell, who was 18 years old.
In addition to imposing a juvenile placement in a Level 2 placement facility, which officials say will be at a residential facility placement, Judge Mark McClory handed down a sentence that ranged from 19 to 38 months for Kiernan Tague, who is 17 years old. Tague was given a probationary period, but if he breaches his probation, he will have to serve between 19 and 38 months in prison.
In March of 2024, Tague, who was just 16 years old at the time of the accident, was charged with second-degree murder for the accident that occurred on November 13, 2023, which resulted in Mackrell’s death. Tague is said to have lost control of his vehicle and collided with a utility pole and a tree in Grosse Pointe Farms, where the speed limit was 25 miles per hour. According to the police, Tague was driving at 105 miles per hour in the area of Ridge Road and Moran Road.
In the month of February 2025, Tague entered a guilty plea to the charge of manslaughter with a motor vehicle that was designated for an adult.
Mackrell’s mother wrote a letter to the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office in July 2024, demanding that Tague’s mother be charged with driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. The letter claimed that Tague’s mother had been irresponsible in reference to her son’s driving. At the time, Mackrell’s parents drew parallels between their situation and that of Ethan Crumbley, the shooter at Oxford High School, and his parents, James and Jennifer Crumbley, who were the first parents in the United States to be held accountable for their child’s actions during a school shooting.
In the month of August 2024, the police department made public a fresh film that showed Tague operating a vehicle at a speed of about 140 miles per hour. News Detroit was able to acquire the video in addition to a comprehensive report that demonstrates that the police responded to many reports regarding the teen’s claimed excessive speeding and violent behavior. These records from the police department demonstrate that Tague’s mother was concerned about her son’s driving.
In December 2024, the prosecutors in Wayne County decided not to press charges against the mother of the teenager.
It will be demonstrated by the evidence in this case that the defendant was driving at speeds comparable to those that are associated with speeding on our Michigan freeways when he was in a residential area. Sadly, Mr. Mackrell is no longer with us as a consequence of this. Speed kills, and we are aware that there is a reason why the regulations of the road are in place. The Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy issued a statement in which she stated that driving 25 miles per hour in a residential neighborhood is not merely a suggestion but rather a requirement.
At this time, Tague is being held at the Wayne County Juvenile Detention Facility as he waits for his placement at the Level 2 facility.
