Jury deliberations have begun in the murder trial of Dylan Simmons, who argued he acted in self-defense when he hit 17-year-old Darisha Bailey Vath with his car in Forest Lake after a fight broke out between two groups of people was who knew each other.
The jury was handed the case shortly after 12:30 a.m. Tuesday after closing arguments that morning in Washington County District Court in Stillwater. After the lunch break, discussions resumed. The trial began on December 11th.
Simmons, 21, of North Branch, is accused of intentionally striking and killing Vath, of Stacy, Minnesota, with his car at Lakeside Memorial Park in downtown Forest Lake at approximately 1:20 a.m. on July 16, 2023.
He faces six criminal charges in connection with Vath's death: second-degree premeditated murder, second-degree unintentional murder, criminal homicide by vehicle and three counts of assault with a dangerous weapon.
Before concluding arguments, Washington County District Court Judge Siv Mjanger granted the defense's request that the jury also consider first-degree manslaughter. The public prosecutor rejected the request.
To make their case during the trial, which began Dec. 9, prosecutors and defense attorneys relied on four videos that captured the fight and Vath's death.
“Video shows that there is no assault when he starts his vehicle and decides to drive it into people,” said Washington County Assistant Prosecutor Kayla Wengronowitz, adding that Simmons could have left.
Simmons' attorney, Travis Kowitz, told jurors in closing arguments that the Lakeside Park video didn't show the true story: that people surrounded Simmons' car and beat it.
The hit-and-run allegedly occurred after a fight between two groups of people who knew each other. “Participants on both sides were yelling at each other and several participants had armed themselves with weapons including a baseball bat, hammers, a crowbar and a folding knife,” the criminal complaint states.
After the conflict de-escalated, Simmons and Anderson got into a white Mazda 3 sedan.
Simmons is out for revenge and will not leave Forest Lake Park humiliated and ashamed as part of the group that lost a fight, Wengronowitz told jurors Wednesday at closing.
Instead, while his passenger, Ryan Anderson, recorded on his cellphone, Simmons intentionally drove his Mazda sedan toward a group of people who did no harm to them, Wengronowitz said in his closing argument.
“Nothing. They were standing by their cars. They were walking away. They were getting ready to leave.”
But it wasn't enough, Wengronowitz said. Simmons drove around the parking lot again and then drove his Mazda “forcefully toward another group of people, causing them to jump out of the way,” she said.
Simmons reversed his car and accelerated forward, “as he told Detective (Luke) Hanegraaff, literally burning rubber, pointed it at Darisha, mowed her down and then fled the scene,” she said.
Vath, who would have graduated high school next spring and dreamed of becoming a veterinarian, died at the scene.
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