A Florida man who sped along a South Bay freeway in the wrong direction and slammed head-on into another vehicle, killing a mother and son in San Jose, has been charged with two counts of murder, the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office said Friday.
Duncan Park McQuarrie, 39, of Orlando, Florida, is scheduled to be arraigned Friday afternoon in the Hall of Justice in San Jose.
The DA says McQuarrie is suspected of driving under the influence at the time of the Aug. 26 crash on northbound Highway 85 south of Santa Teresa Boulevard.
"This criminally reckless crash destroyed a family. We will do everything in our legal power to make sure he never hurts anyone else again," District Attorney Jeff Rosen said in a statement.
McQuarrie, driving a Toyota Tacoma pickup truck south in the northbound lanes of Highway 85, crashed head-on with a Tesla Model Y, killing a 47-year-old San Jose woman and her 14-year-old son.
Witness reports indicated the Toyota was traveling at 80 to 100 mph, using all lanes in the wrong direction, and one witness reported seeing the pickup stopped in the center divide around Union Avenue, the DA said. That witness saw the driver exit the vehicle and walk into a lane of traffic with his arms raised before taking off again at a high rate of speed in the wrong direction.
McQuarrie, who was injured in the crash, was released from hospital care on Thursday. He was then booked into the Santa Clara County Main Jail on suspicion of crimes that include two counts of homicide, two counts of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, and reckless driving.
McQuarrie is set to be arraigned at 1:30 p.m. Friday, the DA's Office said.
Bay City News contributed to this report.
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