19-year-old charged in deadly hit-and-run of Burien grandmother
BURIEN, Wash. - King County Prosecutors have charged 19-year-old Damarion Stokes with felony hit-and-run in the death of 77-year-old Gail Donneley on Sept. 2, 2023.
He is scheduled to appear in court on Feb. 20.
Detectives say he was identified by a FOX 13 News viewer tip to Crime Stoppers of Puget Sound.
According to the charging documents, Stokes was driving his father’s car without permission and without a valid driver’s license. As he drove on Ambaum Blvd S. he struck a pedestrian crossing outside of a crosswalk. There is no evidence that he was speeding.
Donneley was inexplicably crossing and had nearly completed crossing the two-lane arterial when she was struck by the right front of the suspect’s car. She suffered catastrophic injuries and was killed. She was not in a crosswalk.
Stokes would later admit that he was driving and struck her but was frightened and drove away. He tried to repair the vehicle and even told his father, who was out of town, that the car had been stolen and involved in a hit-and-run. The car was located by police and seized as evidence.
Video evidence pre-and post-collision as well as at the store where the headlight was fixed, and telephone records corroborate that the defendant was the driver and knew he had struck Donneley, documents said.
The suspect would later confess after waiving his Miranda Rights, according to charging documents.
"She was a mother. She was a grandmother. She was a friend, sister, teacher, healer," said Lizzie, the daughter of the victim.
She says since her mom’s death, someone has already tried to scam her family and because of that, she only wants to use first names only for her family.
Lizzie says her family had a trip planned with her mom, Gigi. She says when her mom stopped responding to her phone messages she knew something was wrong.
"I went running around her complex. I was knocking on the laundry rooms. I was hoping I would see her," she said.
Investigators say someone driving a Chevy Tahoe hit and killed Gigi on Saturday afternoon, Sept. 2. Lizzie says the incident happened near where her mom loved to take walks.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Detectives seek vehicle involved in deadly hit-and-run crash in Burien
"The good thing about doing this with you is she’s not nameless. She’s not faceless," said Lizzie.
Lizzie says her mom was a caretaker not just for her family, but also for the community. She says so many are heartbroken over the loss.
She says she is sharing her story in the hopes of finding answers.
"If you are listening, who did this to my mom, I don’t want you to suffer. I don’t want you to go to jail, but I need to know. She was my mom," she said.
A GoFundMe is raising money for the family. For more information, click here.
A 19-year-old was arrested on Sept. 15 and booked into King County Jail in connection to the deadly crash.