BELLEFONTE, Pa. (AP) - A central Pennsylvania judge has turned down a motion to dismiss a murder charge against a woman accused of “huffing” from a can of dust cleaner before a fatal crash last summer.
Twenty-two-year-old Danielle Packer of Bellefonte faces 18 counts including third-degree murder, vehicular homicide under the influence and aggravated assault in the August 2012 Benner Township crash that killed 25-year-old Matthew Snyder of Howard.
Public defender Deborah Lux asked a Centre County judge to drop the murder charge, saying the evidence might support negligence and recklessness but not malice.
District Attorney Stacy Parks Miller said “huffing” impairs a user more than alcohol and amounts to “saying ’I am going to drive blindfolded.’”
The Centre Daily Times (https://bit.ly/1kteC6u ) reports that a district judge agreed Thursday and retained the charge.
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Information from: Centre Daily Times, https://www.centredaily.com
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