Hamburg man charged in fatal crash that killed Detroit couple

A Hamburg man has been charged in the fatal crash that killed a Detroit couple less than a month ago.

Mitchell Dukes, 33, was arraigned on two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of operating under the influence causing death Friday.

Dukes is alleged to have been driving his car the wrong way on I-96 on July 31 around 2:30 a.m. when he crashed into a motor scooter carrying Nakia Payton, 39, and Daniel Mixon, 49.

Mixon was driving the scooter and Payton was riding on the backseat when they were hit. Payton died at the scene while Mixon succumbed to his injuries at a local hospital hours later. 

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The defendant was taken into custody at the scene by Michigan State Police. 

A warrant for Duke's arrest was submitted Aug. 2, however, the Wayne County Prosecutor's said it "was lacking critical evidence needed to make a charging decision" and was returned to state police for further investigation.

Then on Aug. 18, charges against Duke were announced and he was arrested Aug. 19. 

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He was given a $500,000 cash/surety bond by Judge Kenyetta Stafford Jones and has been ordered on full house arrest. A Sept. 7 probable cause conference has been scheduled. 

"I feel like a broken record when I say that crimes involving speeding cars, wrong-way drivers, drag racing, drunken driving, and an outright disregard for the rules of the road are 60% higher than they were pre-pandemic," said Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy in a statement. Yet again, the lives of cherished community members have been lost forever. The charges today are no consolation for their friends and loved ones, but we will fight to ensure that justice is done."

The deaths of Payton and Mixon shocked community members and friends of the couple.