In the early morning hours of October 29, 2021, the life of 25-year-old Samone Lashundra Newell, a Black female from Fairfield, Alabama, was tragically cut short in a violent car crash in Birmingham. Newell was the passenger in a vehicle traveling eastbound on Warrior Road when the driver, 27-year-old Zahriya Riana Miller, also of Fairfield, lost control. The car veered off the road and slammed into a building at 1625 Warrior Road with such force that it broke through a double brick wall and came to a rest inside a small business. The crash occurred at approximately 1:25 a.m.
Both Samone Newell and Zahriya Miller were rushed to Princeton Baptist Medical Center for treatment. Sadly, Newell was pronounced dead at 2:13 a.m., less than an hour after the devastating impact. Her death was one of eight homicides in Birmingham in 2021 that were the result of reckless driving incidents. A funeral service to honor her memory was held on November 10, 2021, at Parkway Christian Fellowship in Birmingham, followed by her burial at Highland Memorial Gardens.
The investigation into the fatal crash led to legal consequences for the driver. In November 2023, Zahriya Riana Miller was arrested in connection with the incident. Later, on May 17, 2024, a Jefferson County grand jury indicted her on a charge of reckless manslaughter. Court documents, which were made public on June 11, 2024, allege that Miller was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the crash. Following her initial arrest, Miller was released on a $30,000 bond.
