Charges dismissed in high-speed attempted murder case near Bismarck

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — All charges have been dismissed in the case of a woman accused of trying to kill a motorcyclist on a highway near Bismarck in 2019.

Court documents indicate the moves came after suspect Dazechnae Willis underwent a mental health evaluation that Burleigh County State’s Attorney Julie Lawyer said determined Willis was “actively mentally ill at the time of the offenses suffering from bipolar disorder with psychosis to an extent that her mental illness interfered with her ability to understand the harmful nature of her conduct,” the Bismarck Tribune reported.

Willis had faced felony charges of intentional murder, aggravated assault with a dangerous weapon, and reckless endangerment. She could have been sentenced to decades in prison if convicted.

Willis was driving an SUV with her two young children inside when she struck motorcyclist Kelsey Schaefer, who was thrown under the tandem axles of a semitrailer and suffered multiple injuries, including a serious brain injury, authorities said. Willis and her children were not injured.

A North Dakota Highway Patrol trooper testified last year that she was going 107 mph and accelerating just before the crash, with no signs she hit her brakes.

Willis wasn’t charged until 2021 “due to the complex nature of the investigation and getting records to determine appropriate charges,” Lawyer previously said.

District Judge Bonnie Storbakken last year ordered Willis to undergo a psychological evaluation.

Lawyer in March moved to dismiss the attempted murder charge against Willis “for the reason that due to the information provided in the mental health evaluation, the state does not believe it would be able to prove intent.”

Willis in March changed her plea on the two lesser felonies to not guilty because of a lack of criminal responsibility. The judge soon afterward found Willis not guilty on those charges for that reason. She ordered Willis committed to a treatment facility and said the court would retain jurisdiction for up to five years. The two lesser charges were formally dismissed in early August.

Willis’ status is unclear.