Indy Woman Charged in Causing Crash That Killed Baby

INDIANAPOLIS — An Indianapolis woman is facing a half dozen felony charges, including reckless homicide, following a fatal crash that killed a baby boy on Indy’s east side.

According to court records, the suspect was speeding at more than twice the legal limit on East 38th Street when she slammed head-on into the victim.

For three short weeks, Kye Johnson lived in a hospital bed, hooked up to tubes, before taking his last breath on Dec. 17.

The little boy hadn’t even been born when a driver slammed into the front of his mother’s car, the day before Thanksgiving.

“She was sitting out here waiting to make the turn and was hit head-on,” said the victim’s mother, Vanity Johnson.

Vanity Johnson said her daughter Kyra was eight months pregnant and had to be rushed to the hospital for an emergency C-section after the crash.

“I was just asking them, ‘Please save my baby,’” said Kyra Johnson in January.

Kyra, who spoke about the case in January, suffered numerous bone fractures and is still recovering from her injuries, as well as the trauma of losing her child in the crash.

“It’s been a lot. Day-to-day, it’s up and down. Especially for her, it’s not just physically, but mentally and emotionally,” said Vanity.

Vanity works right next to where the crash happened on 38th Street.

Her daughter was stopped and waiting to turn into the parking lot when she was hit.

Vanity is relieved 31-year-old Latonya Berry is now charged with killing her grandson and injuring her daughter.

Berry was allegedly driving a Jeep SUV, which veered into the turn lane and flipped over in the crash.

“It all could have been avoidable and this is something that will impact my daughter for the rest of her life,” said Vanity.

The posted speed limit on 38th Street is 40, but police claim the suspect was driving 95 miles per hour just seconds before the collision.

Court records also claim Berry was intoxicated, with an ethanol level more than three times the legal limit.

While Kye never got to speak for himself, his grandmother urges all drivers to be responsible behind the wheel.

“Absolutely! Just slow down,” said Vanity. “Going 80 or 90 is insane. It’s just not safe. Just slow down.”

In addition to the criminal charges, the victims’ family has filed a civil case against the suspect.