KINGMAN, Ariz. – A second teenager has entered a plea agreement that will send him to the Arizona Department of Corrections for his involvement in a deadly traffic accident in Bullhead City. Damarkez Hamer, 15, pleaded guilty to negligent homicide and theft of means of transportation during a Nov. 3 hearing that Mohave County Superior Court Judge Megan McCoy conducted at the Law and Justice Center in Kingman.
Consistent with law enforcement reports and a previous change of plea hearing for Jesus Camacho, also 15, Chief Deputy Mohave County Attorney James Schoppmann said the crime spree began when Camacho stole a Hyundai Elantra in Kingman on Sept. 13 before he collected Hamer and three other teenage co-defendants who traveled together to Bullhead City. Defendant admissions detailed in an extensive investigative report compiled by the Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS) indicated the group looked for other vehicles to steal, and property to take from them, as they drifted through Bullhead City and over to Laughlin.
Bullhead City police attempted an excessive speed-related traffic stop at 4:10 a.m. on Sept. 14 which escalated into a high-speed pursuit when Camacho refused to pull over. The Highway 95 chase was terminated in the interest of public safety when Camacho crossed over into oncoming traffic, endangering other motorists.
The suspect vehicle exited the city limits and was refueled before it returned to Bullhead City, prompting a second chase when spotted by police. The DPS report said Camacho once again deliberately crossed the center line of the Bullhead Parkway into oncoming traffic, hoping police would terminate the second pursuit.
Instead, the Hyundai was involved in a head-on collision with a Dodge Charger at 4:34 a.m. The driver of the Charger, Jeremy Miller, 32, died of his injuries.
Judge McCoy has very little discretion in the Dec. 7 sentencing hearing she scheduled for Hamer. Terms of his deal require a two-year prison term, followed by probation for five years.
Camacho pleaded guilty to second degree murder and other charges. He faces a 15- to 20-year prison term when sentenced Dec. 1.
Schoppmann told Judge McCoy that it considers Hamer to be the least culpable of the defendants, while Camacho faces the harshest punishment consequences as the driver.
Cases are still pending against Matthew Silvas, 18, Kyler Martinez, 17, and his brother Nicholas Martinez, 15. They’re each charged with murder, unlawful flight, theft of means of transportation and criminal damage.
