A 22-year-old Dallas-area mother has been charged with two counts of manslaughter after allegedly driving more than twice the posted speed limit in a crash that killed two recent Southern Methodist University graduates, according to Dallas County jail records.
Aldrea Rogers, 22, was arrested and booked into the Dallas County Jail on Oct. 16. An arrest affidavit, reported on by FOX 4 Dallas, states Rogers was driving 82 mph in a 35 mph zone at the time of the crash.
The collision killed Julian Harris, 23, and Madison Duren, 22, a couple who had recently graduated from SMU, where they had bonded over a shared love of theater. Investigators say Harris was driving a Toyota Prius, with Duren in the passenger seat, and was attempting to turn left onto a major roadway when their car was struck by a Hyundai Elantra driven by Rogers, who authorities say was traveling at a high rate of speed. Harris died at the scene; Duren was taken to a hospital, where she later died.
Rogers’ two young children were also in her vehicle at the time of the crash. All three — Rogers and her children — survived.
Bond was set at $250,000 for each manslaughter charge, putting Rogers’ total bond at $500,000 as of Wednesday afternoon, according to jail records.
Harris and Duren had remained active in Dallas’ theater community after leaving SMU. Friends Eli Barron and Emmet Overcarsh told FOX 4 Dallas the couple were curious, enthusiastic people who loved learning and connecting with others. The couple had been leaving their apartment when the crash happened.
Overcarsh said it has been hard to process that Rogers, the same age as the victims, allegedly had her two young children in the car when the fatal crash occurred.
A memorial service for Harris and Duren is scheduled for Oct. 31 at Southern Methodist University.
