Years after a newspaper carrier for The State was killed in a fiery crash that ended in a church parking lot, another man is headed to prison, the 5th Circuit Solicitor’s Office said.
On October 29, Malik Williams pleaded guilty to a charge of driving under the influence (causing death), the law firm said in a press release. Williams was sentenced to 10 years in the South Carolina Department of Corrections, according to the release.
Donald D. Wheeler Jr., a 49-year-old Columbia resident, died in the Jan. 9, 2022, wreck, Richland County Coroner Naida Rutherford said at the time. Wheeler was a porter for The State newspaper. According to the notary, the accident happened around 3:15 am
According to the coroner’s office, the two-vehicle collision occurred in the 2300 block of Leesburg Road in Columbia, near the intersection with Newell Road.
Williams was driving a 2013 Ford Escape east on Leesburg Road, the Columbia Police Department said in 2022. According to the notary’s office, the Ford reached a speed of 180 km/h.
Williams attempted to illegally pass Wheeler, who was also driving east on Leesburg Road while delivering newspapers in a 2018 Hyundai Elantra, by crossing double yellow lines, police said.
But Wheeler made a left turn onto Newell Road, and the speeding Ford T crashed into the side of the Hyundai, according to police.
Wheeler’s car was pushed about 150 feet from the point of impact, the law firm said. Police say the Hyundai caught fire and rolled into a church parking lot with Wheeler trapped inside.
Williams was ejected from the Ford and taken to a local hospital, police said. No information was available on how long he was treated at the hospital, but he was not arrested until March 23, 2022, Richland County court records show.
Police said the drivers were the only occupants of their vehicles and no other injuries were reported.
At the time of the collision, Williams had a blood alcohol level of 0.18 — more than double the legal limit in South Carolina — and active THC in his system, the law firm said.
The fatal crash was investigated by the Columbia Police Department, led by Lance Cpl. Orlando Santos, according to the press release.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Nick Fowler prosecuted the case for the law firm. Columbia attorneys Bakari Sellers and Alexandra Benevento were listed as Wheeler’s attorneys, court records show.
According to court records, Wheeler was charged with speeding in two separate cases in 2015.
