Driver indicted for murder in wreck that killed Garner family of 3. What warrants say.

Anna Johnson
·4 min read
2

The driver accused of hitting and killing a Garner family of three in a Memorial Day wreck has been indicted on charges of murder.

Jordan Alexander Porter, 25, was charged with driving while impaired and other offenses shortly after the May 27 wreck, but police said more charges would likely follow.

On Tuesday, a Wake County grand jury indicted him on three counts of second-degree murder.

Second degree murder is different from first-degree murder in that there is no premeditation.

A person convicted of second degree murder can be punished as a Class B1 felon, or a Class B2 felon “if the malice ... is based on an inherently dangerous act or omission, done in such a reckless and wanton manner as to manifest a mind utterly without regard for human life and social duty and deliberately bent on mischief,” according to state law.

Porter was already charged with:

  • Three counts of felony death by vehicle

  • Felony maintaining a vehicle for a controlled substance

  • Reckless driving to endanger

  • Speeding 82 in a 45 mph zone

  • Possession of marijuana drug paraphernalia

  • Failure to stop at a red light

  • Expired registration card or tag

  • Expired inspection

  • Transportation an open contain of alcoholic beverage after consuming alcohol

Shelby Porter, Porter’s wife, told law enforcement officers that Porter drank two or three beers while at Rainbow Lanes bowling alley in Clayton and also smoked marijuana before leaving the house to go to work, according to search warrants.

“She also stated that they knew the vehicle was in need of repair work and the brakes and steering had issues and they were planning on trying to sell the vehicle,” according to the search warrants.

The last safety inspection of the vehicle was on Feb. 29, 2020, according to Division of Motor Vehicles records.

The collision occurred after a driver ran a red light on U.S. 70, killing Tyler Campbell, 28, and his wife, Susan Campbell, 29, police said. Their son, Miles, remains in the hospital in critical condition, according to police.
The collision occurred after a driver ran a red light on U.S. 70, killing Tyler Campbell, 28, and his wife, Susan Campbell, 29, police said. Their son, Miles, remains in the hospital in critical condition, according to police.

The crash

Tyler Campbell, 28, Susan Campbell, 29, and their 8-year-old son Miles died after police say an SUV driver ran a red light and collided with the family’s vehicle on U.S. 70.

Police say a Chevrolet Trailblazer was heading westbound on U.S. 70 when Porter ran a red light and hit the Campbells’ Mazda CX-5, which was going southbound on New Rand Road.

A third SUV sustained minor damage, but its occupants were not injured, according to police.

Two people were killed and two injured when the driver of an SUV ran a red light and collided with another vehicle on U.S. 70 on​ Monday​ afternoon, May 27, 2024.
Two people were killed and two injured when the driver of an SUV ran a red light and collided with another vehicle on U.S. 70 on​ Monday​ afternoon, May 27, 2024.

Driver record

Porter had a dozen previous driving citations going back a decade before the May crash. The News & Observer reached out to three district attorneys seeking more information about why some citations were dismissed.

In Johnston County:

  • He was cited for failure to reduce speed in 2015. That case was dismissed. In a statement, Johnston County District Attorney Susan Doyle said the file was destroyed, which is allowed under record retention laws, but that “it is permissible to dismiss this charge with a letter from the insurance company stating they have paid damages.

  • He was cited for exceeding safe speed in 2016, and that case was dismissed. That file was also destroyed, but “it is permissible to dismiss this charge after the defendant completes a driving school and provides a letter from the insurance company stating they have paid damages,” according to Doyle.

  • He was cited with failing to wear a seat belt in 2016. He plead guilty to this charge.

  • He was charged with two counts of simple possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. In a plea agreement, Porter “admitted guilt” to simple possession of marijuana in teen court and the other two charges were dismissed. “The defendant was unable to complete the terms and conditions of the Teen Court program after sustaining traumatic brain injuries in a motor vehicle collision,” according to a letter from the DA’s office. “Based upon the defendant’s injuries and prognosis at the time, the state chose to dismiss the charge.”

  • In 2018, he was charged with underage consumption of alcohol, failure to maintain lane control and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. In a plea deal, he plead guilty to the alcohol charge to have the other two dismissed.

  • In 2018, he was charged with failure to wear a seat belt and careless and wreckless driving. The state dismissed both charges when Porter completed driving school and provided a letter from the insurance company saying they had paid damages.

  • In 2018, he was charged with misdemeanor larcny but the charges were dropped after a witness failure to appear in court after being subpoenaed.

In Harnett County:

  • He was cited for reckless driving with wanton disregard, which was dismissed by the Harnett County district attorney in 2016.

In Wake County:

  • He pleaded responsible to failing to stop at a red light in 2015. In 2022, he was charged with a hit and run while leaving the scene and taking the victim’s wallet. That charged was dismissed by the Wake County district attorney after the witness did not appear in court after being subpoenaed.

  • He was cited earlier this year in Wake County for driving 66 mph in a 45 mph zone. That case is pending.