On Tuesday, a woman was found guilty of murder for reportedly running over her fiancé and dragging him 500 feet with her car, say British police.
23-year-old Alice Wood hit and killed 24-year-old Ryan Watson in what onlookers described as a “game of chicken.” This happened after they argued at a charity event in May 2022, according to Cheshire Police. Wood thought Watson was flirting with someone else at the party, the BBC said.
“Wood used her vehicle as a weapon, while under the influence of alcohol, deliberately driving at him and even continuing to drive after knocking him down,” Detective Inspector Nigel Parr stated. “She knew what she had done, but since then has refused to take accountability for her actions.”
Wood argued against the claim, calling her fiancé’s death a “tragic accident,” according to the BBC.
Police released security video showing Wood driving at Watson multiple times until he got trapped under the car’s hood.
On the night of May 6, 2022, the couple went to a party where they were spotted chatting and drinking, as per the police. Wood drove Watson’s car back from the party around 11 p.m. that night. When they got to his place, they both got out of the car, the police mentioned.
Once she got into her Ford Fiesta, witnesses heard “shouting, doors slamming, and a car engine revving,” the police shared. Security videos caught the car heading towards Watson twice before he was pulled under it.
After stopping the car, Wood told someone nearby, “Please phone an ambulance, I think I’ve run over my boyfriend.” Emergency services pronounced Watson dead at the scene.
Wood didn’t pass the breathalyzer test, the police mentioned. When arrested, she reportedly said, “It’s fine, I deserve it.”
Watson’s family shared in court, “we finally got justice for our beloved son Ryan.”
“No sentence is going to be long enough for what she has taken from us and Ryan, he’ll never get to live his life and fulfill his dreams,” the family expressed.
Wood’s sentencing is set for January 29.