A teenage girl has been arrested over a drunken car accident that left a high school student dead as cops press charges against the parents of another passenger.
Sophia Lekiachvili, 18, was killed in an car crash after leaving a boozy get-together at her friend’s house to go for a late night drive on February 24 in Atlanta.
Hannah Hackemeyer, also 18, the driver of the car, has been formally indicted on more charges during a press conference on Wednesday after she was initially arrested in April for driving under the influence, Fox 5 Atlanta reported.
Sumanth Rao, 50, and Anindita Rao, 49, who are the parents of another passenger, have also been indicted for allowing underage drinking in their home, which allegedly became known for parties, before the fatal wreck.
Sherry Boston, the Dekalb County District Attorney, noted that the couple ‘knew the girls had been drinking but they still let them get into a car and leave the house with an open bottle of wine in the front seat’.
‘Halloween, Homecoming, the last day of school,’ Boston told Law and Crime. ‘It is a miracle that nothing happened prior to February 24.
‘Mr. and Mrs. Rao’s choices that night led to the death of a teenage girl.’
Three people are facing felony charges in connection to the death of Sophia Lekiachvili, 18, who was tragically killed in a drunken car crash in Atlanta, Georgia, this past February
Anindita Rao, 49, along with her husband, are indicted on three charges for allowing three underage kids to drink in their home before the fatal wreck – a home that is considered a ‘party house’
Hannah Hackemeyer, 18, the driver of the car, was formally indicted on more charges Wednesday after she was initially arrested in April for driving under the influence
Hackemeyer, Lekiachvili and Ananya, the couple’s daughter, were drinking at the Rao household earlier this year.
The teens – who were in full view of the Rao parents – had just finished off a bottle of wine before informing the adults that they were going for a nighttime drive.
Shortly before midnight, they left the home while drinking another bottle of wine.
But just 30 minutes later and less than a half mile away, the decision leave the home proved to be deadly.
Hackemeyer was driving a Mazda CX-5 nearly 100mph with Lekiachvili in the passenger seat and Rao in the back when she lost control and crashed the car, causing the vehicle to flip over.
‘Hannah was speeding more than 60mph over the limit, hitting 98 mph just one second before the crash,’ Boston said.
‘The car’s computer revealed she never tapped the brakes.’
Hackemeyer and Rao were able to crawl out of the car – leaving Lekiachvili critically injured and trapped in the passenger seat.
First responders rushed to the scene and extricated the teen before transporting her to the hospital where she died just hours later from her injuries.
Hackemeyer was arrested this past April and initially charged with failure to maintain a lane, reckless driving, driving under the influence under age 21 and vehicular homicide in the first degree but was ultimately released in May on a $25,500 bond, Fox News reported.
Lekiachvili (pictured) along with two other teens were drinking at the Rao household earlier this year when they decided to head out for a late night drive while intoxicated – all while the parents were aware of their alcohol consumption
Lekiachvili (pictured) was in the front seat of the speeding car when it lost control, crashed and flipped over – leaving her trapped in the seat before she was rescued but tragically died at the hospital just hours later
But during a press conference on Wednesday, Boston revealed that a grand jury had returned formal indictments against the teen.
She is facing three counts of first-degree homicide by vehicle, three counts of serious injury by vehicle, driving under the influence under the age of 21 and possession of an open container of alcoholic beverage in the passenger area.
The Rao parents are now facing charges of involuntary manslaughter, reckless conduct and maintaining a disorderly house.
Anindita surrendered herself to authorities where she was then booked into the DeKalb County Jail.
Her husband was out on a business trip, but is expected to turn himself in once he returns back from out-of-state.
During the investigation, it was revealed that hundreds of teenagers could have been met with the same fate due to the Rao household being known as the ‘party house’, where teenage drinking was considered the norm.
‘This crash was a foreseeable consequence of allowing underage drinking in their home and worse – allowing someone who they knew had consumed alcohol – to drive,’ Boston said in a statement.
‘We recognize that prosecuting these cases will not bring Sophia back, but we hope that by pursing justice in her death, we may prevent future tragedies.’
