Mother of children killed in Philadelphia carjacking crash dies

The mother of three children killed when a carjacked vehicle plowed into a crowd of pedestrians in Philadelphia has also died, and the two suspects in the case will now face a fourth murder charge, prosecutors said.

Keisha Williams, 34, died at Temple University Hospital on Thursday night. It was nearly two weeks after she and her three children were struck by an out-of-control vehicle that had been carjacked only moments earlier, according to a statement issued by the Philadelphia district attorney’s office.

“The thoughts and prayers of my office continue to be with everyone affected by the senseless crimes that occurred,” Dist. Atty. Seth Williams said in a statement. “I hope the knowledge that I am prosecuting these defendants to the fullest extent of the law will give the family some sense of justice during this time of unimaginable grief.”

Police say Jonathan Rosa, 19, and Cornelius Crawford, 23, carjacked a woman in the northern part of the city on July 25 and sped toward the intersection of Germantown and Allegheny avenues, where they slammed into a crowd of pedestrians.

The two men were sexually assaulting the female carjacking victim, but lost control of the car in the intersection, striking five people before crashing in a wooded area, police have said.

Keiearra Williams, 15, Joseph Reed, 10, and Terrance Moore, 7, were all killed in the wreck. They were in the area selling fruit with their mother to support a local garden.

Two others, including the carjacking victim, suffered injuries that weren’t life threatening in the crash.

Rosa and Crawford are being held without bail, according to a spokeswoman for the district attorney’s office. They are scheduled to make their first court appearance on Aug. 13, where the charges against them will be amended in light of Keisha Williams’ death.

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