Woman admits role in fatal Marlboro Pike crash in Prince George's County

LaTyre Moore first told officers she was riding as a passenger, but investigators say she was the driver in the fatal Marlboro Pike crash that killed 31-year-old Erika Boykin. The lie at the scene became part of a case that ended Friday with a guilty plea in Prince George’s County Circuit Court.

According to Moore’s plea, the 32-year-old was behind the wheel in the 6800 block of Marlboro Pike shortly before 2:30 a.m. when she lost control of the car and it went airborne. Boykin was ejected from the vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene. Prince George’s County police initially treated Moore as the passenger, but their investigation later determined she had been driving.

Moore had been charged with motor vehicle manslaughter in connection with Boykin’s death. Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Tara Jackson announced the plea and said Moore is scheduled to be sentenced Aug. 24, when she faces up to 10 years in prison.

The case is more than a grim traffic file. It is a test of accountability after a deadly crash, showing how a false account at the scene can slow the truth while investigators sort out who was actually driving and what happened in the seconds before impact.

It also lands on a corridor county planners have long viewed as troubled. Marlboro Pike sits in western Prince George’s County between the District of Columbia and the Capital Beltway, and a county planning report said disinvestment had left stretches of the road with conditions many residents perceived as unsafe. County transportation officials later advanced Marlboro Pike pedestrian safety improvements because of a high incidence of pedestrian crashes along the roadway. For commuters moving through District Heights and nearby communities, the plea is a reminder that one bad decision on a busy corridor can leave a deadly mark that lasts long after the wreckage is cleared.