Woman charged with murder and assault in hit-and-run in Maplewood

MAPLEWOOD, Minn. – A St. Paul woman faces murder and assault charges in connection with a hit-and-run accident in Maplewood One woman died and another was injured.

According to court records, Ashley Couch was charged Friday with first-degree murder and second-degree assault.

Two groups of people had arranged to fight at the intersection of Larpenteur Avenue East and Dieter Street North on Wednesday evening after an altercation had already broken out earlier that day, according to a criminal complaint. Couch was part of one group, the hit-and-run victim was part of the other.

According to the complaint, the two victims were standing next to a car at the intersection when a driver in a Dodge Charger turned onto Larpenteur, struck the car and drove off. The surviving victim was thrown into the air.

The other victim, later identified as 23-year-old Zakirrah Anderson, “had catastrophic injuries to her body consistent with being dragged under a vehicle for an extended distance,” investigators said. She died shortly after arriving at Regions Hospital.

Police arrested Couch on Thursday after “a concerned citizen” called Maplewood police and identified them as suspects, the complaint states. The caller also said Couch had hidden the vehicle. St. Paul police found the vehicle in an alley, with significant damage.

“The officer on scene also observed that the driver of the vehicle appeared to have intentionally attempted to conceal it, as the rear license plate had been removed and there appeared to be trash cans in front of it to hide it from public view,” the complaint states.

Couch initially denied involvement. After being shown video of the hit-and-run, Couch denied intentionally hitting anyone, a criminal complaint states.

According to court records, Couch has multiple previous convictions for violent crimes and uttering threats. She is in custody and is scheduled to appear in court Monday morning.