2 plead not guilty in NC 49 crash that killed Winthrop professor

Police say suspects were racing before collision killed woman, teen, child

By Gary L. Wright - The Charlotte Observer

Carlene Atkinson and Tyler Stasko pleaded not guilty Thursday to murder charges in connection with a wreck last April that killed a mother, her baby and a teen.

Atkinson, 45, of Lake Wylie, S.C., and Stasko, 21, of Matthews, are each charged with three counts of second-degree murder. Both are out of jail on bond and prohibited from driving while awaiting trial, which isn’t expected until next year.

Police say Atkinson and Stasko were racing at speeds of up to 100 mph on N.C. 49, when Stasko’s Mitsubishi Eclipse collided with a Mercedes that was entering the highway from the RiverPointe subdivision.

Killed in the Mercedes were 45-year-old Winthrop University professor Cynthia Furr and her 2-year-old daughter, McAllister. A passenger in Stasko’s car, 13-year-old Hunter Holt, also died.

Prosecutors have apparently made no plea offer to Atkinson, who they say had been convicted 15 times for speeding and left the crash scene without calling for help.

“There’s been no plea discussions between the state and the defense,” said Gary Murphy, who represents Atkinson.

Stasko’s lawyer, Deke Falls, would not say if his client had received a plea offer.

Atkinson is free on $900,000 bond. Stasko’s bond was set at $45,000. His only conviction has been for driving without a license in North Carolina.

During a May bond hearing, Mecklenburg Assistant District Attorney Marsha Goodenow said witnesses estimated the speeds of Atkinson’s and Stasko’s cars at between 70 mph and 100 mph. When the Eclipse struck the Mercedes, it was traveling at 83 mph, according to the prosecutor.

Inside Atkinson’s Camaro during the race, Goodenow said, were two teens – Atkinson’s 13-year-old daughter and a 14-year-old friend.

After the crash, Atkinson stopped, got out of her car and went to the crash scene, Goodenow said. Atkinson then declared: “Come on, let’s go,” the prosecutor said.

Atkinson did not report the wreck, Goodenow said. Authorities found her at home hours later and confiscated her black Camaro.

Goodenow pushed for a $1 million bond. She told the judge that Atkinson is facing up to 50 years in prison, and suggested that she might flee.

“She’s already fled where there were three people at the scene who died,” the prosecutor said.