Fake ID, open whiskey bottle found after high-speed crash that killed UNC student
After an early morning crash that killed a UNC-Chapel Hill student, police found a fake ID for the 20-year-old driver and a half bottle of Crown Royal whiskey, according to recently released court documents.
The 20-year-old driver Flemeeja Beatrice Brewer’s blood alcohol concentration was .15%, nearly twice the legal limit of .08%, according to search warrants obtained and first reported by ABC11, the N&O’s news partner. The warrants successfully sought authorization to search Brewer’s black 2014 Mercedes-Benz E 350 and to obtain her medical records.
Brewer and surviving passenger Brianna Tiera Pinson, 21, told officers they drank alcoholic beverages, including a Lemon Drop mixed drink, at Still Life, a bar on East Franklin Street in Chapel Hill. The young women, who are all from Greensboro, were at the bar for about an hour before the Jan. 21 crash on N.C. 54 in Chapel Hill, the warrants say.
The third passenger, Mary Elizabeth Rotunda, 20, died. Rotunda and Brewer were UNC students.
Police have said the young women were also served alcohol at Might as Well, another Franklin Street bar.
Fake ID, whiskey
The search warrant, which includes a picture of the crashed Mercedes-Benz, says officers found a fake Texas driver’s license with Brewer’s name and photo. The ID indicated she was over 21 years old.
The Crown Royal bottle, which was about half full, was thrown from the car in the crash and found on the roadway in a red and black drawstring bag, the warrants say.
Fatal crash involving UNC students
Around 2:23 a.m. on Jan. 21, Brewer’s black 2014 Mercedes Benz E350 sped down N.C. 54 near Meadowmont at more than 120 mph when it ran off the right side of the road, The News & Observer reported after obtaining the crash report. The speed limit on that portion of road is 45 mph. The Mercedes-Benz hit a street sign and several trees before coming to rest on its roof in the grass, the report says.
Brewer, 20, and Pinson, 21, were treated for injuries, police said.
UNC-Chapel Hill football player Zachary O’Brien Rice was also speeding down the road about 15 feet behind Brewer, police said.
A state medical examiner’s report says Rotunda was pulled from the backseat of the car by bystanders who were following the Mercedes before it crashed. Rotunda went into cardiac arrest in an ambulance on the way to UNC Medical Center, according to the document, first reported by WRAL. She was pronounced dead at the emergency room at 3:17 a.m., the report says.
Brewer faces a dozen criminal charges, including driving while impaired, felony death by vehicle and involuntary manslaughter. Rice, of Virginia, faces speeding, consuming alcohol while underage and driving after drinking while underage charges.
Pinson has also been charged with helping someone under 21 consume alcohol.
Seven others, including two employees from Still Life and two other members of the UNC football team, face related charges.
The crash is being investigated by Chapel Hill police and state Alcohol Law Enforcement officers.
Virginia Bridges covers criminal justice in the Triangle and across North Carolina for The News & Observer. Her work is produced with financial support from the nonprofit The Just Trust. The N&O maintains full editorial control of its journalism.
This story was originally published February 24, 2024 at 12:31 PM.
