Woman accused of murder in Rock Creek crash was driving at 100+ mph before collision

The woman charged with murder in a major 2023 crash that killed three on Rock Creek Parkway was driving up to 100 mph and had high levels of alcohol in her system, according to expert witnesses who testified Monday in D.C. Superior Court.

Crash reconstruction expert David Plant testified that Nakita Walker had topped out at triple-digit speeds as she raced north on the parkway early on March 15, 2023.

Mr. Plant said the defendant was going 72 mph on the federal roadway when she allegedly crossed a double-yellow line and struck a rideshare vehicle traveling in the opposite direction. The parkway has a posted speed limit of 35 mph.

The head-on collision killed driver Mohamed Kamara, 43, and passengers Jonathan Alberto Cabrera Mendez, 23, and Olvin Josue Torres Velasquez, 22.

Ms. Walker, 46, faces second-degree murder charges. Her defense team has argued the crash was a bad accident and not grounds for a murder charge.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia has tried to convince a jury otherwise by homing in on Ms. Walker’s use of alcohol before the crash and her checkered history on the roads.

The defendant already had three DUI convictions on her record before the fatal crash three years ago. Ms. Walker also had more than $12,000 in unpaid traffic tickets at the time as well.

Minutes before the crash, Ms. Walker fled a traffic stop near the National Mall after the officer spotted marijuana and alcohol in her vehicle, authorities said.

Medical professionals from the D.C. Office of the Chief Medical Examiner shared lab tests showing that Ms. Walker had consumed more alcohol than legally allowed.

Samantha Tolliver, the chief toxicologist at the Medical Examiner’s office, testified that Ms. Walker’s blood alcohol content was 0.10 grams per 100 milliliters, which is just above the 0.08 legal limit for alcohol consumption when behind the wheel.

Ms. Tolliver said signs of impairment can be evident at 0.05 blood alcohol content, although that largely depends on the person’s level of alcohol tolerance.

D.C. Fire and EMS paramedic Donna Tidaback said on the stand that the defendant appeared drunk when she interacted with her.

“She was acting abnormally — exuberant, or excited — and laughing quite a bit, which was strange because she was injured,” Ms. Tidaback testified. “Sometimes that is due to shock, sometimes that is from intoxication. Her case seemed like intoxication.”

The only injury Ms. Tidaback observed was the defendant’s swollen thigh, which likely meant Ms. Walker had broken her femur.

Defense Attorney Albert Amissah tried to undercut the firefighter’s opinion on his client’s drunkenness by saying Ms. Tidaback did not notice that Ms. Walker had also fractured her rib cage and sternum.

But police evidence presented at trial worked against the defense team’s framing.

Former U.S. Park Police Detective Kevin Turner said investigators found a Hennessy bottle in the back of the car at the scene of the crash.

Mr. Turner, who retired from the force last year, said investigators also found a digital scale in the car, which is often associated with measuring out marijuana for potential sales.

Charging documents said police originally stopped Ms. Walker after she sped through a red light at the intersection of 17th Street and Independence Avenue in Southwest.

Police body camera footage played at the trial captured Ms. Walker saying she was racing home to get to her 10-year-old son. The body camera also documented Ms. Walker’s ex-boyfriend, who was in the passenger seat, pouring out liquor from a cup as the officer approached the car.

Ms. Walker and her ex-boyfriend both spoke with the officer for several minutes, but prosecutors said she drove away after the officer smelled alcohol in the car and spotted a bag of marijuana.

Ms. Walker has been in custody ever since charges were filed three years ago. Closing arguments are expected to be delivered Thursday.