Credit: Montgomery County District Attorney's Office.
A Philadelphia man pleaded guilty to being under the influence when he caused a fatal crash on Skippack Pike in Whitemarsh Township that killed a pregnant woman and her baby, according to a report.
Jabrial Terry, 28, pleaded guilty to two counts of homicide by vehicle while driving under the influence of marijuana and opioids and was sentenced to six to 12 years in state prison.
Terry admitted that he was high when he caused the May 4, 2024, two-car accident that killed his girlfriend, 24-year-old Nya Janae Stokes, who was nine months pregnant and due that day, and injured another driver.
According to police, at the time of the accident, Terry was traveling 50 mph in a Buick LeSabre along the 100 block of Skippack Pike near the intersection with Butler Pike when he drove off the road into a concrete culvert, then overcorrected the vehicle and swerved into oncoming traffic in the opposite lane. He then struck another vehicle head on, according to the investigation.
The report stated that the crash occurred at 5:56 p.m. Terry was trapped in the Buick, but was ultimately freed by a Good Samaritan. Stokes was found unresponsive in the passenger’s seat. She was later transported to Abington Hospital, where she was pronounced dead at 6:49 p.m. The baby was delivered by emergency c-section but died five days later.
In court, Terry apologized to Stokes’ family and said he was pleading guilty to take responsibility for what he had done, according to the article.
“The sentence, in this case, sends a message that when you drive under the influence of drugs, of a controlled substance, or under the influence of alcohol, there are serious consequences,” Prosecutor Lauren Marvel said.
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