Man charged with reckless murder in fatal wreck

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December 22, 2009

By Jean Cole The News Courier Tue Dec 22, 2009, 04:36 PM CST

State troopers believe alcohol and numerous other traffic violations caused a five-car wreck that killed two people on Old Railroad Bed Road on Dec. 12, and they have charged one of the drivers with reckless murder.

Jose Guadalupe Ibarra Morante, 44, of 27558 Spruce Road in Toney was charged Monday with reckless murder and was being held without bond in the Limestone County Jail.

Accident investigators believe Morante committed multiple traffic violations, including alcohol consumption and improper passing, which caused the collision that killed Richard Doty, 66, and passenger, Doris Cory, 62.

“We believe there were multiple traffic violations and that alcohol was involved,” Summerville said. “We have witness accounts of the collision.”

The trooper said Morante was passing several vehicles in his 2003 Cadillac on Old Railroad Bed Road, just west of Huntsville city limits, about 6:50 p.m. that Saturday, when he struck a 1999 Oldsmobile driven by Doty head on, killing Doty and Cory. Another passenger in Doty’s car, Christine Doty, 14, was injured.

Summerville said the major impact was between those two vehicles but that debris led to a five-car wreck. Also injured was Kenneth Mangrum, 47, driver of a 2005 Toyota, and passenger Pamela Mangrum, 42, both of Harvest.

All six were wearing seat belts.

Also involved in the wreck was:

• Eric Hicks, 45, of Harvest, driver of a 2007 BMW, who was not injured.

• Holt Jones, 33, of Athens, driver of a 1998 Mitsubishi, who was not injured.

Morante, who is in the country illegally and whose previous address was Washington state, has been held without bond in the Limestone County Jail since the accident, Summerville said. District Judge Jerry Batts declared Morante a flight risk at his initial appearance and denied bond.

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