A driver has been charged with second degree murder following a car crash that resulted in the deaths of a Filipino couple, leaving their six young children orphaned.
The victims, Ryan and Jen Ambrosio, were driving on the Lodge Freeway in the early hours of Saturday when their vehicle was struck head-on by a pickup truck. The suspect, identified as 35-year-old Angel Melendez-Ortiz of Romulus, Michigan, was reportedly evading police at the time of the incident. Reports indicate that Melendez-Ortiz was driving in the wrong direction without headlights, leading to the fatal collision.
The deaths of the Ambrosio couple have left a void in the lives of their six children, aged between 2 and 9 years. In response to the incident, Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald has levied multiple charges against Melendez-Ortiz. These include second degree murder, first degree fleeing and eluding police causing death, reckless driving causing death, and operating a vehicle with a suspended license causing death.
The second degree murder charge carries the possibility of a life sentence, while the other counts could lead to up to 15 years in prison each.
