Grand jury indicts Harris Lake boaters on 2nd-degree murder charges
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- Chatham County grand jury indicted two Harris Lake boaters for murder charges.
- Investigators cited alcohol evidence, including 39 empty seltzer cans on board.
- Victim’s family and survivors call for changes to North Carolina boating laws.
Two boaters accused of killing a 10-year-old girl on Harris Lake were indicted on second-degree murder charges by a Chatham County grand jury Monday.
Quinten Kight, 40, is accused of driving the boat into a group of swimmers. He was indicted along with Annemarie Flanigan, 56, his girlfriend who owns the boat, according to ABC11, The News & Observer’s newsgathering partner.
Kight and Flanigan are accused of killing Brooklyn Mae Carroll, a rising fifth-grader at West Lake Elementary School, and injuring Jennifer Stehle, a Wake County Public School System social worker. Doctors amputated Stehle’s left leg.
Investigators found 39 empty hard seltzer cans on the boat, according to court documents. An investigator wrote that Kight “had a strong odor of alcohol on his breath, had red, glassy eyes, and his speech was hard to understand.”
Kight faces four additional charges related to injuring Stehle and operating a boat recklessly and while impaired.
Flanigan is charged with two different counts of allowing Kight to drive the boat while impaired — resulting in injury and death — and one count of aiding and abetting Kight in boating while impaired.
What victims’ families say
Brooklyn’s family released a statement Thursday, Aug. 7, saying her “light” made everyone around her better.
“She had a uniquely goofy, wonderfully weird sense of humor that could brighten anyone’s day, and it was a part of what made her so unforgettable,” the statement read. “She always knew how to bring a smile to your face.”
Stehle released a statement with her brother, Justin, Monday, expressing gratitude for the support her family has received, ABC11 reported. A GoFundMe for Stehle’s medical bills and rehab has raised over $110,000 as of Monday, about $9,000 away from its goal.
“Our hearts are full of gratitude for the overwhelming support our family has received,” Jennifer and Justin Stehle wrote. “The meals, visits, messages, and prayers have been more than acts of kindness. They have been lifelines holding us together during the most difficult days of our lives.”
Kristie Stehle said Jennifer remains in the hospital and won’t be leaving anytime soon.
“We will continue to seek change in North Carolina’s boating laws to protect swimmers and families,” Kristie Stehle said. “And we pray no one else will ever have to walk the road we’re on today.”
This story was originally published August 11, 2025 at 6:40 PM.
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