PHOENIX -
A Phoenix man has been charged with second degree murder after police say he caused a wreck on I-10 that killed a 14-year-old child.
Police say at the time he admitted to taking 100 pills, something the suspect now denies. We spoke to him from jail.
The day of the crash, John Edward Morken says he was driving to San Diego in a friend's Porsche. He originally said he didn't remember much about the crash, then told us he tried to revive the victim.
"I was 100 percent coherent."
Police say John Edward Morken was speeding in a stolen Porsche when he rear-ended a suburban on I-10 the day after Thanksgiving. A 14-year-old child was killed.
"I kept trying to get over to him to see if I could help or try to get to him and I remember he said he wasn't alive anymore and I was just quiet, I just laid there," he says.
Morken admitted he is a former prescription pill and heroin addict. He admitted to driving on a suspended license and claims he borrowed the Porsche from a friend.
"I don't know how fast I was going, I don't know anything, I think they pulled in front of me because I don't remember seeing a car at all."
On the way to the hospital, police say Morken became combative in the helicopter and showed signs of narcotic impairment. Investigators say he admitted to taking hundreds of pills.
Investigators say they found a bottle of prescription pills called Lorazapam in Morken's car. The prescription was filled that very day, but only 11 of 25 pills remained in the bottle, according to court documents.
"Because I was having to financially detox from methadone, they gave me that to help with anxiety," says Morken. He told us he remembers taking three pills that day.
"It's horrible I can't even put into words how bad I feel about this."
Police took blood from Morken. The results are pending. Two other children ejected from the Suburban that Morken hit had emergency surgery.
Their parents and a baby had minor injuries.
According to court documents, Morken has outstanding warrants in Michigan and Kentucky and a suspended license. He was booked on charges of second degree murder, aggravated assault, endangerment, and criminal damage.
John Edward Morken
