Fayetteville driver involved in high-speed crash that killed three E.E. Smith students now faces serious felony charges.
According to investigators, Monroe was behind the wheel of a 2024 Honda Civic with three players inside: 17-year-old Trevor Meritt, 17-year-old Nicholas Williams, and 18-year-old Jai’hyon Elliott.
Police allege that Monroe pushed her vehicle to nearly double the speed limit, reaching 92–93 miles per hour in a 45-mph zone. The Honda Civic veered off the roadway, slammed into a utility pole, continued across a sidewalk, and finally collided with a tree.
Monroe survived but was critically injured and hospitalized for weeks.
Authorities say Genwright, though not in the car that crashed, was participating in the same willful speed competition moments before the deadly impact.
Detectives officially charged Monroe with three counts of involuntary manslaughter, one for each of the teenage victims whose lives were cut short.
She is also charged with willful speed competition, speeding, careless and reckless driving, and an insurance violation.
Genwright faces charges connected to the alleged racing but not the manslaughter counts.
The community surrounding E.E. Smith High School remains shattered as families mourn three young men whose promising futures were taken.
Monroe Appears in Court in Wheelchair, Bond Set at $300,000
Monroe was booked into the Cumberland County Detention Center under a $300,000 secured bond, which a judge refused to lower despite arguments from her defense team. She has since bonded out.
Her attorneys described her injuries as severe, revealing she has a rod in her leg, one arm that cannot function, and another arm in a cast. Monroe arrived in court in a wheelchair and appeared visibly frail.
Her first court appearance was held Thursday, and her next hearing is scheduled for December 10.
