Milwaukee fatal crash; victim's family speaks out
MILWAUKEE - It's been more than a month since a deadly crash on Milwaukee's north side left one woman dead.
The fatal crash happened at Locust and Hubbard. Prosecutors said the man behind the wheel, 34-year-old Deangelo Wallace, had a suspended license at the time.
The victim, 40-year-old Julie Collins, was a passenger in the vehicle. Investigators say speed was a factor, but her family believes something else was going on behind the wheel.
"I just never thought she would die like this," said her daughter, Arianna Collins. "This was more than just a car accident. She was in a domestic violence situation."
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Wallace has been charged with homicide by negligent operation of a vehicle. Arianna Collins said her mom and Wallace dated for about a month, but she felt something was wrong.
"With the abuse that was happening and the threats to kill her beforehand, mixed with eyewitnesses saying they were arguing, and nobody goes that speed on that road," she said.
Police say people who saw the crash saw Wallace swerving and speeding when he lost control and hit a tree.
Arianna Collins and Emily Ludwig
While Wallace has not been charged with anything related to domestic violence, Julie Collins’ loved ones say it is more than reckless driving.
"There’s pictures of her injuries," Julie Collins’ younger sister Emily Ludwig said. "There’s text messages where she was expressing his threats, that he threatened to kill her."
Arianna Collins said she and her mom were both students at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Her mom was studying to be a forensic psychologist and her favorite hobbies were true crime and makeup.
The family hopes if anything, talking about what happened to Julie Collins will save someone else's life.
"Anyone who is listening to this, if they are in a situation like that [...] seek help, walk away," Ludwig said.