Share and Follow
Background: News footage of the intersection in Grand Junction, Colo., where Gary Descheene was killed on Dec. 11, 2025 (KKCO). Insets (left to right): Jacob Morton and Kari Frederick (Grand Junction Police Department).
Two residents of Colorado are facing charges stemming from an alleged high-speed race that tragically resulted in a pedestrian’s death late last year.
Jacob Morton, aged 21, and Kari Frederick, aged 54, were apprehended on April 1 following an in-depth investigation into a fatal car crash that took the life of 63-year-old Gary Descheene on December 11, 2025. The Grand Junction Police Department has charged both Morton and Frederick with participating in a speed contest and reckless driving. Morton faces additional charges of two counts of vehicular homicide, with allegations suggesting he was under the influence of drugs during the incident.
The Daily Sentinel, a news outlet based in Grand Junction, obtained an arrest affidavit detailing that Morton and Frederick were driving a Dodge Challenger and a Toyota Camry, respectively, when they encountered each other and allegedly engaged in a competitive speed challenge.
According to the affidavit, Descheene was crossing a street at a crosswalk around 8:30 p.m. on December 11, 2025, when he was struck by Morton’s Challenger. Frederick, who witnessed the crash, told authorities, “it could have been [her].” However, when questioned about any prior conversation regarding racing, Frederick denied any such discussion with Morton.
Morton, when interviewed by the police post-crash, provided a contrasting account. He reportedly said that he and Frederick were engaged in a back-and-forth driving competition, taking turns accelerating and overtaking each other. The affidavit reveals that Morton’s story changed regarding the initiation and cessation of the race. Initially, he claimed the race began near an intersection a few blocks from the accident site, but later suggested that was the point where they ceased racing.
Both Morton and Frederick were found to be speeding before the moment of the crash. Frederick was allegedly driving about 22 mph over the speed limit right before the crash; Morton was allegedly driving 67 mph before he ran into Descheene.
Police said Morton admitted to smoking “two puffs of marijuana ‘leaf’” about four hours before he got behind the wheel. According to the affidavit, his field sobriety test was “unsatisfactory.” A blood draw revealed a level of THC that fell exactly at the legal threshold for “permissible inference” of impairment.
While police said Frederick was not directly involved in the crash, they wrote in the affidavit that her speeding was “reckless.”
Both Morton and Frederick posted bond and were released from the Mesa County Detention Center. Morton is scheduled to appear in court on April 8; Frederick is scheduled to appear on April 24.