Miracle Rutherford Memphis woman indicted in Galen Young vehicular homicide death after driving recklessly and crashing into house and killing pro basketball player.
A female driver who crashed her car into a Memphis house has been charged with vehicular homicide in the death of a former college and pro basketball player killed in the crash, prosecutors announced Tuesday.
Miracle Renee Rutherford, 19, was indicted in the death of Galen Young, who was inside the house when the crash occurred June 5, the Shelby County district attorney’s office stated.
The indictment alleges Rutherford driving recklessly and creating a substantial risk of death or serious bodily injury.
Rutherford was speeding at about 2:45 a.m. that night when she lost control of her car, went airborne and crashed, investigators said.
No injuries were initially reported. Investigators said a woman in the house told police that she lived there with her adult son, but that he was not home. Or so she thought.
Illustrious career
Hours later, other family members arrived to help remove items from the crash site and found the body of the son, identified as Young, 45, who was recovered underneath the vehicle, authorities said.
Rutherford was believed to be going at least 60 mph when she left the roadway; investigators say the speed limit on Horn Lake Road where the crash occurred is 45 mph.
Young played high school basketball in Memphis and began his college career at Northwest Mississippi Community College. Young then played two years at UNC-Charlotte, where he led the 49ers to two NCAA Tournament appearances and earned All Conference-USA honors.
Young was drafted by the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks in 1999. He played 13 seasons of pro basketball in the Continental Basketball Association and abroad, including in Japan and Australia.
Former teammate Jeffrey Cariaso offered some remembrances of Young, according to the Bleacher Report.
‘My fondest memory of Galen was how quick he adapted to our culture. He was one of those guys who just gets it in regard to surviving and doing well in the PBA,’ Cariaso told the outlet.
Adding, ‘He had a great attitude in life. When it came to the court, he was a competitor. No question he showed up each and every day.’
Young served as a coach following his playing days, with stops at Lane College (2016-2020) and Rockhurst University (2020-2021).
