A white woman is facing multiple felony charges after causing a crash that killed Black PhD student Kennedy Reed in St. Louis last month.
Lilly Belfield, 22, faces charges of DWI — death of another not a passenger, involuntary manslaughter, and three counts of second-degree assault, according to court records.
The crash happened on Aug. 4 on Dr. Martin Luther King Drive in north St. Louis.
A probable cause statement, obtained by KMOV, said that Beltfield was driving westbound heading to a concert with three other friends in the car.
The 22-year-old was allegedly intoxicated and driving at a high rate of speed. She eventually reached a stop sign, where she illegally passed a car in the left-turn-only-lane and drove through the intersection, according to the document.
Belfield’s car crashed into Reed, who was lawfully driving through the intersection. Reed died as a result, while the three passengers in Belfield’s car suffered injuries.
The statement says Belfield admitted to police that she was the driver and owner of the car. She also admitted to driving while intoxicated.
It contradicts Belfield attorney’s, David Rosener, previous statement that she was not the one driving at the time of the crash. Rosener told KMOV he questioned the probable cause statement.
“I’ve been around too long to believe the police about such things,” he said.
Reed was a fourth-year candidate at the Washington University School of Medicine.
The 26-year-old Mississippi native began her doctoral studies in 2023 and was working toward completing her thesis when she died.
Her mentor, Felipe Ribeiro, said Reed stood out not only for her scientific talent, but also for her kindness toward those around her.
“She approached scientific questions with remarkable rigor and enthusiasm, while also bringing kindness, generosity and genuine care for those around her,” Ribeiro said.
Her fiancé, Steven Alphin, said Reed’s brilliance extended into every part of her life.
“How would you describe her? Brilliant, I mean. Literally, just brilliant,” Alphin said. “I mean, in all facets of everything that she did, every walk of life, every step as a daughter, as a significant other, as a friend, as an AKA, as a student, as a scientist.”
For Portia Reed Carter, Reed’s mother, the loss has left a painful silence.
“What will you miss most about Kennedy? Her smile,” Carter told First Alert 4. “We talked every day. Just her personality and coming home, coming back to Mississippi. But most of all, the calls every day.”
Washington University established the Kennedy Reed Memorial Summer Program Scholarship for undergraduate research in her honor. The fund will sponsor two undergraduate students from Alcorn State University to participate in the university’s summer research experience.
Reed will also be posthumously awarded a doctoral degree from the school. Her mother will accept her degree in May 2027 during the hooding ceremony.
Belfield was denied bond on Friday.
