Driver avoids jail time after 100-mph crash that resulted in the death of a college student

A Michigan mother is devastated once again as the teenager responsible for her son’s death in a 2023 car accident received a sentence that did not include prison time.

Police in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, arrived at the scene of a single-car crash on November 17, 2023. They found the defendant, Kiernan Tague, in the driver’s seat, and the victim, 18-year-old Flynn MacKrell, in the passenger seat, unresponsive.

Prosecutors accused Tague of driving about 100 mph in a 25-mph zone around 9 p.m. when he crashed the vehicle into a telephone pole.

Originally facing a charge of second-degree murder, the defendant later pleaded guilty to manslaughter with a motor vehicle as an adult in February 2025. The sentencing last week resulted in a “blended sentence” due to the defendant’s age at the time of the incident, which was 16.

“My son, my Flynn, was my life, my heart. No words can capture the silence, the rage, and the sorrow that fill every corner of my world. This statement cannot express the hell I live every day since Flynn’s death, but Flynn’s voice was stolen, now mine must speak for him.”

She also read a victim impact statement in court last week during the sentencing hearing. In her statement, Vanker remembered her son, who had just started studying at the University of Dayton before the crash, as “a cherished child of God” and “a true gift.”

She also described Tague’s “escalating violent behavior” and “willful disregard for his mother’s authority, the law, and basic human life.” Vanker added that Tague has never acknowledged “the gravity of the crime” and has never expressed “remorse” for Flynn’s death.

Anne Vanker, of Grosse Pointe Farms, expressed outrage after her son’s killer avoided prison time. (Ryan Garza / USA TODAY NETWORK)

“Kiernan Tague has been involved in 20 police incidents since 2018. Most of these police interactions were triggered by Kiernan’s mother calling 911 because of his uncontrollable outbursts,” she wrote. 

Tague’s driving history in the months before the crash included hitting speeds of 102 mph, 127 mph, 143 mph, 150 mph and 155 mph, the Detroit Free Press reported, citing police reports, cellphone exchanges and Life360 records.

Vanker also noted that Tague’s family used the Life 360 app to keep tabs on their son’s location, as many parents do, and a search warrant for data from the app showed Tague’s reckless driving tendencies. Police reports, Life360 records and other documents showed 

“From November 1 to November 17, Kiernan made 94 trips in his car,” Vanker wrote. “Of those 94 trips, 10% were over 120 [mph], 18% were over 110 [mph], 26% were over 100 [mph], and 45% were over 90 [mph]. The top speed was recorded on November 1, 2023, when Kiernan Tague traveled at or above 153.7 mph for 20.5 miles.”

Tague also spoke at his sentencing and at times became choked up when talking about Flynn, whom he described as his best friend, according to FOX 2.

“My heart is profoundly heavy with grief, regret and remorse,” Tague said on June 13, as FOX 2 reported. “What pains me most is that I know that any pain that I’ve experienced is nothing compared to what Flynn’s loved ones, especially his parents, sister, brother, and family have experienced.”