DETROIT – Five teenagers have been charged with second-degree murder in connection to a deadly rock-throwing incident on I-75 in Genesee County.
Prosecutor David Leyton announced Monday that all five teenagers will face second-degree murder charges and other felonies.
Sheriff Robert Pickell said he wasn't willing to call the incident a prank, since it resulted in the death of Kenneth Andrew White, 32, of Mount Morris Township.
"It's not a prank," Pickell said. "It's second-degree murder. I don't think anybody's laughing. You make a bad decision, you could be spending the rest of your life in prison. This is not a prank."
READ: Family heartbroken after man killed by rock thrown from overpass on I-75
Kyle Anger, 17; Mark Sekelsky, 16; Mikadyn Payne, 16; Trevor Gray, 15; and Alexander Miller, 15, are all from Clio, Michigan.
"I don't believe this was a deliberate act to take someone's life," Leyton said. "It was a willful and wanton act that resulted in someone's death. These people should've known better. They should've known this could kill someone, and under Michigan law, that's second-degree murder."
Police said the teenagers damaged several cars the night of Oct. 18 when they threw rocks off at least two overpasses in Vienna Township.
"We know we found 20 rocks, one weighing 20 pounds, on I-75," Pickell said.
Police said it was a six-pound rock thrown from the Dodge Road overpass that went through the windshield of a van White was riding in. White was hit in the chest and head, causing major trauma.
Investigators said the five teens left the overpass and drove to a McDonald's to eat.
White leaves a fiance and a young son.
"Nobody wins when young people are charged," Pickell said. "A young boy is left without a father, and many families are grieving."
All five boys went to Clio High School.
Police said Anger turned himself in at the county jail, and the others were arrested. They're being held at the detention center.
The boys are expected to be arraigned Tuesday.