Miami

Driver in Wrong-Way I-95 Crash That Killed German Student Faces DUI Manslaughter Charges

What to Know

  • William Ferguson faces DUI manslaughter charges in a wrong-way crash on I-95 that killed a German exchange student.
  • Mathias Akwa, 24, was killed on July 5 after colliding with a vehicle head-on.
  • Prior to the crash, Ferguson allegedly was on drugs and stabbed his girlfriend before taking off.

A man who went on a crime spree before he caused a wrong-way crash on Interstate 95 that killed a German exchange student early July appeared in court Thursday.

William Ferguson, 27, is in jail under $100,000 bond and is now facing charges of DUI manslaughter in addition to aggravated assault, prosecutors say.

A special prosecutor was in bond court Wednesday to ask for an increased bond for Ferguson. The Ohio native was deemed a flight risk, had his license suspended four times and spent time in prison for dealing drugs, prosecutors said.

"I find that based on the allegations, which are horrific, he is a danger to the community, and so I'm going to grant the state's request," Judge Renatha Francis said in court.

The judge ordered Ferguson to be on house arrest if he bonds out. No attorney information was immediately available.

According to the initial arrest report, Ferguson was on drugs when he stabbed his girlfriend in the neck and arm in front of her one-year-old daughter on July 5. He then fled the scene and drove on the wrong lane of I-95.

He was traveling northbound on the southbound express lanes when he collided head-on with another vehicle.

Mathias Akwa, 24, was identified as the man killed in the crash. He was a German national living in Miami for a school internship. He was returning from Destin after a Fourth of July celebration and was on his way to return a rental car.

Four cars were involved in the crash but there were no other injuries.

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