Charges reduced in case of suspected kidnapping, fatal crash in Columbia

Boone County prosecutors have lowered some charges against a woman accused of kidnapping her three children and killing her 13-year-old daughter in a vehicle crash.

In April 2017, Demetres Washington faced six charges:

One count of second-degree murder, Three counts of first-degree kidnapping Two counts of second-degree assault.

On Friday, prosecutors lowered all kidnapping charges from first-degree to second-degree.

Washington and her friend Mackenzie Quiovers have been accused of kidnapping Washington’s three children from a home in March 2017 and crashing a car, injuring all five people, and killing one.

Washington’s 13-year-old daughter, Shianna Mays, died from injuries suffered in the crash.

Former Cole County Prosecuting Attorney Bill Tackett said the lowered charges means the prosecutors did not have the evidence to prove first-degree kidnapping.

He said that, if the jury finds Washington not guilty of the second-degree murder charge, it could significantly change her sentencing.

“Unless there’s an acquittal at the trial on the murder second-degree, you have to drop back to the kidnapping charge. Well, you’ve lost a lot of ground if you go to a Class D (felony). You haven’t lost much ground if you have a first-degree kidnapping charge,” Tackett said.