Jury convicts man of murder for hitting teen with vehicle after fight in Twin Cities park

Jurors have convicted a man of murder for intentionally striking and killing a teenage girl with his vehicle after a fight involving a group of people in a Forest Lake park.

Dylan R. Simmons, 21, of North Branch, Minn., was found guilty in Washington County District Court of second-degree murder in the commission of criminal vehicular homicide and three counts of second-degree assault in connection with the hit-and-run death of 17-year-old Darisha Bailey Vath of Stacy, Minn., at 1:20 a.m. on July 16, 2023.

Simmons remains jailed ahead of sentencing, which is scheduled for March 20.

“Darisha was looking forward to graduating [high school] in the spring of 2024,” read a posting on an online fundraising campaign created by her family to cover expenses related to her death. “Her biggest dream after graduating was to become a veterinarian.”

According to the criminal complaint and a related court document based on witness accounts:

Police officers arrived to the parking lot at Lakeside Memorial Park to find Vath on the ground surrounded by bystanders. One of them was giving CPR to the wounded teenager. Police and emergency medical responders failed to revive Vath, and she was declared dead at the scene.

People there told police there had just been “physical fights involving two groups of individuals,” the charges read. “Multiple participants had armed themselves with weapons such as a baseball bat, a crowbar and a folding knife.”

Simmons and another person got in a car once the situation calmed down. One of the groups hit Simmons’ car with a baseball bat, and he claimed he was hit on the arm with a bat.

Simmons then “intentionally drove in the direction of several people from the opposing side of the conflict” and struck the back end of another vehicle that belonged to his rivals and brought Vath to the park.

Simmons backed up his car and drove toward several people close to the vehicle he hit. He “drove over her with both the front and rear passenger side tires” of his car before driving away, the complaint read.

A male in the car with Simmons called someone who was still at the park being interviewed by a police sergeant, who encouraged the two of them to return to the scene. Upon return, Simmons admitted that he ran over Vath.

Court records show that Simmons’ driving history includes convictions for underage drinking and driving, speeding, no vehicle registration, no vehicle insurance and driving after suspension.