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Passengers Alexander Murk, 18, and Calvin Jia-Xing Li, 18, killed and driver Samuel Joseph Ellis, 18, severely injured after car leaves Dufief Mill Road, strikes multiple trees in North Potomac, MD

Modified Date: 
Wed, 05/22/2019 - 10:47am
Accident Date: 
Friday, June 26, 2015

Students hold vigil for teens killed in Montgomery Co. crash(link is external)

Friends, family and former classmates honored the two teens killed in a deadly car crash with a vigil attended by hundreds at their former high school. Wootton High School principal Michael Doran said in his 13 years on the job, he could not recall a more painful tragedy in the student community. The Wootton community lost two recent graduates in last Thursday night's crash: Alexander Murk and Calin Li, both 18. "Just that young life had been snuffed out like that it's just hard to even put into words," said Doran. Doran said the school would offer counseling services and keep its doors open through the summer for students who needed help with their grief.

Investigation into crash that killed 2 Wooton High grads nears completion - WTOP(link is external)

WASHINGTON '€” Montgomery County police say they'€™re close to finishing an investigation into a crash that killed two Wooton High School graduates in June and could take their findings to prosecutors in the coming weeks. Calvin Li and Alex Murk, both 18, were killed in the June 25 crash in North Potomac. Police initially believed that speed and alcohol were factors in the crash that injured two other teens who were in the same car. Corporal Rebecca Innocenti, with Montgomery County police, says the length of the investigation is not unusual. Then in late August, the community was buffeted by tragedy again when Doran died unexpectedly at his Bethesda home.

Sources: Parent was at party that led to fatal N. Potomac crash(link is external)

A parent was present at an alcohol-fueled party in North Potomac that led to a fatal car crash in June, according to documents obtained by WUSA9. According to the documents, Ellis also tested positive for marijuana and benzodiazepines, which is found in medications like Xanax. An investigation indicated that Ellis'€™ car was traveling southbound in the northbound lane on Dufief Mill Road. Ellis, Li and Murk were all recent graduates of Wootton High School. The documents show that Ellis was driving at a minimum speed of 65 miles per hour in a 35 mile per hour zone.

We felt invincible: New report details deadly teen crash, party that preceded it(link is external)

The car lost control, went off the road, went airborne, hit a fence and two trees, and flipped. They had just left one underage drinking party and were headed for another, four teenagers in an Acura flying down a dark road on a summer night. That account of the fatal June crash '€” and the first details of the party that preceded it '€” are laid out in a new 26-page police accident report The Washington Post obtained Friday. It is really important that people realize that underage drinking kills.'€ No charges have been filed in the case, but police said Friday that prosecutors would be making decisions within the next month. The two passengers who died had blood-alcohol levels of 0.13 and 0.11, according to the report.

Montgomery County Man Charged in Car Crash That Killed 2 Friends(link is external)

McCarthy warned parents that they can be charged with furnishing alcohol to youth even if they didn't buy it. He has been issued two citations for furnishing alcohol to a minor and faces a $5,000 fine. They piled into Ellis' car and headed to another party. The former high school quarterback police say was drunk and speeding when he wrecked his car after a house party has been charged in the deaths of two of his friends. Ellis and three friends went to a party on June 25 in North Potomac, where police believe they had been drinking.

Father Fined $5K for Hosting Teen Drinking Party That Led to Fatal Crash(link is external)

A father accused of hosting a drinking party that led to the deaths of two recent high school graduates in Maryland this summer was fined Thursday for allowing underage drinking in his home. Kenneth Saltzman paid $5,000 on Thursday for furnishing alcohol to minors at a party attended June 25 by students and recent graduates of Wootton High School. The young men and a 16-year-old boy had just left the party at the Saltzman home, where police said they had been drinking. Murk and Li were pronounced dead at the scene, and their 16-year-old friend suffered a serious spinal injury. Alexander Murk and Calvin Jia-Xing Li, both 18, died after driver Samuel Ellis, 19, lost control of his car on Dufief Mill Road in North Potomac, Maryland.

Teen charged in fatal crash in court as victim's family looks on(link is external)

My son is not," David Murk said, The family has gone through times since the crash, leaning on their family and friends for support. We know he’s never coming back and to live with that is just incredibly painful," David Murk, Alex Murk's father, said. Dozens of grief-stricken family members and friends of Murk packed the courtroom as Ellis said nothing. If convicted, Ellis faces up to 20 years in prison. Ellis faces two counts of manslaughter by motor vehicle and two counts of homicide by motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol.

Two people died in a car crash, 2 others suffer serious injury in Montgomery County(link is external)

Two Montgomery County teenagers were killed and one was left in critical condition Thursday night after a late-night crash in North Potomac that followed an underage drinking party, county authorities said Friday.

Memorial Held for Montgomery Co. Teens Killed in Crash(link is external)

A memorial was held at Wootton High School on Tuesday night for Alexander Murk and Calvin Jia-Xing Li, both 18.

Recent High School Graduate Pleading Guilty in Maryland Car Crash That Killed 2 Friends(link is external)

He was charged with two counts of vehicular homicide while under the influence of alcohol, two counts of manslaughter by motor vehicle and one count of causing life-threatening injury by motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol.

Driver in Md. fatal crash to ask to start prison early(link is external)

Michael McAuliffe, the attorney for Samuel Ellis, says his client will ask Circuit Court Judge Robert Greenberg to let him begin serving time in prison immediately, ahead of his June 6 sentencing date.

Former Wootton quarterback sentenced to four years for killing classmates in crash (link is external)

Ellis was sentenced to four years in prison Thursday, June 9 after killing two former classmates in a drunken-driving crash last June.

A fatal crash and the thoughts a father lives with (link is external)

Since that June, there has been a lot of time for Li to reflect on Calvin’s growing up. He has thought about the expectations the teenager faced at home and in school, about the cultural gap between him and his immigrant parents, about his search for identity and a desire to fit in.

Why every fatality from a crash is not legally a wrongful death

After someone dies in a motor-vehicle accident, grieving family members and friends are often left with many questions. What caused the accident? Could it have been avoided? What do they do now that their loved one is gone?

Sometimes a fatal collision happens through no one's fault. Crashes caused by weather and road conditions, or by wildlife in the roadway, are examples. But when a fatal crash is caused by negligence, then family members should pursue a wrongful death claim, to uphold the victim's rights and begin the financial recovery process. Learn more about wrongful death claims here.

Type: Car Accident
Topics: 
Accident Topics: Teenaged Drivers - Young Adult Drivers, Children/Minors Involved, Road Departure, Seat Belt Usage
People Involved: 
Alexander Murk
Calvin Jia-Xing Li
Samuel Joseph Ellis
Roadway: 
Dufief Mill Road
City: 
North Potomac, MD
County: 
Montgomery County, MD
Area: 
Washington, DC

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