Teens charged in Alexa Stakely's murder to be tried as adults

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COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – Two 16-year-old boys charged in the death of a woman who tried to stop a carjacking while her son was still in the back seat will remain in custody as prosecutors continue the process of taking their cases to adult court.

The boys appeared Monday morning in juvenile court, 3 1/2 weeks after the death of Alexa Stakely on the Southeast Side of Columbus, near Canal Winchester. Requests for the boys to be released were denied, with the judge citing public safety and the severity of the crime.

The boys are being charged with murder alongside Gerald Dowling Jr., 19, who was arraigned Thursday and assigned a $10 million bond.

Stakely, 29, was a speech pathologist for preschool students in Canal Winchester schools and, as a single mother, also worked a second job.

About 1:30 a.m. on July 11, she was picking up her son from his babysitter’s apartment. Police said that while the child was asleep in the running car, Stakely went back to the apartment to pick up his belongings when someone started to drive away.

Stakely ran from the babysitter’s door toward the car, screaming for her child. The car then hit her, throwing her to the ground and resulting in a fatal head wound. The car was found abandoned nearby with her 6-year-old inside and still asleep.

The case went about a week without any of the three suspects, who were caught on surveillance video, being identified.

The first to come forward was a 16-year-old from Canal Winchester, who came to police headquarters with his parents, where he agreed to an interview with detectives. The boy allegedly confessed to stealing Stakely’s car and hitting her with the vehicle.

Police later announced a second 16-year-old, also from Canal Winchester, was interviewed about the case, when he also allegedly admitted to being there. About an hour later, Dowling, of Dublin, also agreed to be interviewed and allegedly admitted to being present.

Both 16-year-olds have their next court dates scheduled for September. Prosecutors said they don't expect either case to get transferred to adult court for another 5-6 months. At that time, it is believed that all three will be tried as co-defendants.