x
Breaking News
More () »

Dash cam video shows high speed DUI chase that instantly killed passenger

Joseph Starks led police on a high-speed chase, then crashed, instantly killing his passenger in Franklin County. A jury has called it murder.

A speeding driver was sentenced on Friday to spend life in prison for causing an accident at 100 mph – killing his passenger instantly.

Joseph Starks, now 35, was caught on Sheriff deputies' dashcam video, which was made public for the first time on Monday.

The dashcam video shows Starks speeding and driving erratically on I-85 in Franklin County.  Deputies clocked him at over 100 mph before he crashed into a truck.

The woman in the passenger seat, his friend, Kristin Dyer, was killed instantly. Dyer was 27 years old. 

Credit: Shelby Dyer
Kristin Dyer was killed instantly in a high-speed crash in Franklin County. The driver, Joseph Starks, has been convicted of murdering her in the crash.

“It’s something you don’t get over,” said Sheby Dyer, Kristin Dyer’s mother, on Monday. “She was a wonderful human being, a wonderful mother. She leaves behind an 8-year-old daughter, which we now have adopted.”

Police said it all started late in the afternoon of Dec. 14, 2016. Franklin County Sheriff’s deputy Antwune McCurry tried to pull over Starks' car when he clocked him driving at 95 mph. Starks refused to stop his car, though, and sped away from Dep. McCurry.  McCurry followed Starks, two other deputies joined the pursuit, and all three tried to stop Starks as he weaved all over I-85 at speeds topping 100 mph.

District Attorney Parks White said investigators found out later that Starks was under the influence of alcohol, cocaine and marijuana at the time.

Credit: Franklin County District Attorney's Office
Joseph Starks is serving a life sentence for causing a high speed crash in Franklin County that killed his passenger, Kristin Dyer.

“It’s clear he was putting other people on the highway at risk,” said White.  “Their pursuit was an attempt to stop him from putting other people at risk.”

After a 6-mile chase, Starks sped up the grassy hill of an on-ramp and collided with a truck. Dyer died instantly.

Dyer's mother said Starks deserved to be punished for his actions.

“I think he got what he deserved,” Shelby Dyer said. “Well, no, actually, he didn’t get what he deserved, because he took her life. That’s not something you can get back.”

White praised McCurry and the other deputies who tried to end the chase without putting other drivers at risk.

“If the defendant had merely stopped his vehicle, all he had to do at any point along that 6-mile chase was to pull over and stop his car, and Kristin Dyer would be alive today,” White said.

Starks, now 35 years old, has a long record of arrests and convictions. He has been sentenced to life in prison and will be eligible for parole in 2046, when he is 63 years old.

Before You Leave, Check This Out