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An active-duty soldier faces criminal charges after his girlfriend’s 5-year-old son was punched and killed on a busy Alabama freeway after allegedly forcing the child out of the car in the rain and after dark as a punishment.
Bryan Starr, 35, told investigators he was driving near Fort Mitchell, Alabama, when Austin Birdseye, 5, started getting “unruly” inside the vehicle. Starr said he then pulled up in a church parking lot and told the boy to get out, Russell County Sheriff Heath Taylor explained in a virtual press conference.
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Starr is said to have told investigators that he lost his sight in the rain. It is not known how much time passed before Birdseye drove to the busy 165 near County Road 24, where he was struck at around 8 p.m. The boy was rushed to Piedmont Columbus Regional, where he was pronounced dead at 8:51 p.m., Russell County Coroner Arthur Sumbry Jr. confirmed to WTVM.
“It’s just awful. I can’t imagine the mother’s grief she is going through. It’s just hard. What do you say to that? Taylor said at the press conference. “What is your thought process when you tell a 5 year old to get out of the car on a rainy night because he was noisy in the car? It’s just heartbreaking.
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Bryan Starr has been charged with reckless murder in connection with the death of his girlfriend’s 5-year-old son. (Russell County Sheriff’s Office)
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Investigators retrieve surveillance video from the church parking lot. The fatal crash happened a few miles from the home Starr shares with his girlfriend in Fort Mitchell, WRBL reported. Taylor said the woman was not with Starr when he told his son to get out in the rain. He added that the driver who hit the boy is not at fault and is devastated.
Starr, a soldier stationed at Fort Benning, was interviewed by hospital investigators and then proceeded to the Russell County Sheriff’s Office. He was charged with reckless murder and was placed in the Russell County Detention Center. He is eligible for the surety bond.
A native of Marengo, Illinois, Starr is a Sergeant First Class assigned to 3rd Squadron, 16th Cavalry Regiment, 316th Cavalry Brigade stationed at Fort Benning. The military base is in Georgia, about 3 miles across the state border from where Starr lives in Alabama. Starr has 17 years of service, including a combat tour of Iraq.
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“We are deeply saddened by this tragic event and extend our sincere condolences to the family of the deceased,” said Ben Garrett, spokesperson for Fort Benning, in a statement.
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