ITASCA COUNTY, MN- The former chairman of the Democratic Farmer Labor Party in Minnesota’s 8th Congressional District pleaded guilty in May to vehicular homicide in connection with a July 3, 2024 crash where she struck 19-year-old Carter Haithcock with her vehicle and then fled the scene.
Law & Crime reports that Cynthia Martin, 66, was on her way home from dinner with friends when she struck Haithcock walking down the street alone after getting into an argument with a former girlfriend.
Court documents obtained by the outlet showed Haithcock walking home on Highway 169 after getting into the argument with a “former romantic partner” at a street dance in Nashwauk, Minnesota.
Meanwhile, Martin was at the Sawmill Saloon in Mountain Iron, Minnesota, having dinner with friends before driving home.
According to the court documents, Martin was distracted on her cellphone with a friend at around 11;10 p.m. when she said she believed she struck an animal and continued driving home to Grand Rapids, Minnesota.
“Oh my God, I hit something.” She hung up and minutes later called the friend back and said there was no damage to her car other than the windshield. Her friend advised her to call 911.
Surveillance video showed a dark-colored SUV with one working headlight pulling over to the side of Highway 169 for less than half a minute and then leaving the scene. At 11:17 p.m., another driver called 911 and reported a body lying in the road. He told 911 operators he had to swerve to avoid running it over.
Unfortunately, a second driver was unable to swerve in time and ran over Haithcock’s body, then immediately pulled to the side of the road and waited for police to arrive. It was quickly determined by responding officers that neither of the two drivers was responsible for killing the victim, who was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators were able to collect evidence which showed the suspect vehicle was likely a General Motors vehicle based on debris.
At 5:54 a.m. on July 4, Martin called 911 to report that she was possibly involved in an accident the night before. She willingly provided a statement to police and told them that after she left the Sawmill Saloon at around 10:30 p.m., she “hit something with her car” that she believed was “an owl or a turkey.” She admitted driving home and not stopping.
Police were able to determine that Martin didn’t consume any alcohol and wasn’t under the influence when she struck Haithcock.
According to witnesses, Haithcock was at a street dance and reportedly argued with his former girlfriend at around 10:50 p.m. He told friends he was going to walk home. During his walk, he called his estranged girlfriend several times, with the last call taking place at 11:15 p.m.
After pleading guilty on May 20, Martin was sentenced to 365 days in jail and five years of supervised probation. On July 3 of each year of probation, she is required to report to jail and spend all of July 4 locked up before being released on July 5. She will also have to complete 100 hours of community service.
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