Boat owner, driver in deadly crash on Harris Lake now charged with murder

The two had previously been charged with death by impaired driving in the death of of Brooklyn Carroll, a 10-year-old girl from Apex.
Posted 8/11/2025, 9:16:01 PM Updated 8/12/2025, 2:28:02 AM

NOTIFICATIONS SO YOU'LL RECEIVE

IMPORTANT WEATHER ALERTS RIGHT

ON YOUR HOME SCREEN. NEW

TONIGHT. WE'RE DIGGING INTO WHY

2 PEOPLE WERE NOW FACING

SECOND-DEGREE MURDER CHARGES

AFTER A BOATING ACCIDENT ON

HARRIS LAKE QUINTIN, KIGHT IN

ANNE MARIE FLANIGAN WERE BOTH

CHARGED TODAY IN A MOVE THAT

SURPRISED SOME PEOPLE. THE

BUREAU'S AARON MILLER JOINS US

LIVE FROM HARRIS LAKE. AND

ERIK, YOU SPOKE WITH A LAWYER

WHO ISN'T CONNECTED TO THIS

CASE, BUT WHO KNOWS THE LAW?

HE'S CALLING HIS DECISION TO

BRING SECOND-DEGREE MURDER

CHARGE IS UNUSUAL.

GERALD, AND HE OFFERED A NUMBER

OF POSSIBLE EXPLANATIONS FOR

WHY THEY MIGHT HAVE DONE THIS.

SOME OF WHICH GO BEYOND JUST

WHAT HAPPENED HERE AT HARRIS

LAKE THAT TERRIBLE AFTERNOON.

LIKE PRIOR CRIMINAL HISTORY

>> THE NEW CHARGES DROPPED JUST

AFTER 03:00PM MONDAY. THE GRAND

JURY INDICTING BOTH QUITTING

KITE AND AND MARIE FLANIGAN

FOR MURDER IN THE

SECOND-DEGREE.

>> NORMALLY IN SOMETHING LIKE

THIS, IT WOULD EITHER BE A

FELONY DEATH FOR SOMETHING LIKE

THAT FOR IT TO BE SECOND DEGREE

MURDER. THE DA HAS SEEN

SOMETHING THAT HE THINKS RISES

ABOVE THE TYPICAL ACCIDENT,

EVEN IMPAIRED DRIVING ACCIDENT.

>> NEW TONIGHT THROUGH OF

DEFENSE ATTORNEY DANIEL MEYER

WHO ISN'T INVOLVED IN THE CASE

SAYS SECOND-DEGREE MURDER

CHARGES REQUIRE PROSECUTORS

TO PROVE KITE IN FLANAGAN ACTED

WITH MALICE.

>> TYPICALLY IN A CASE THAT

INVOLVES AN IMPAIRED DRIVING IS

A PRIOR HISTORY OF IMPAIRED

OPERATION EXTREME RECKLESSNESS.

YOU KNOW WHERE THEY GOING WAY

TOO FAST FOR THE CONDITIONS

WHERE THEY DRIVING THROUGH A

SWIM AREA.

>> THE CRASH HAPPENED ON AUGUST

SECOND, 10 YEAR OLD BROOKLYN

CARROLL WAS KILLED. ANOTHER

WOMAN JENNIFER STALEY WAS

SERIOUSLY INJURED EVEN BEFORE

THE CRASH DID HAVE PENDING

CHARGES AT OF MOORE COUNTY FOR

FELONY HIT AND RUN IN A BOAT

CRASH. HE WAS ALSO CHARGED FOR

DW ON HIM FOR KILLING SOMEONE

WHILE OPERATING A BOAT UNDER

THE INFLUENCE. FLANAGAN HE'S

FACING SIMILAR CHARGES FOR

ALLOWING KITE TO OPERATE OR

BOAT MONDAY, CARROLL'S PARENTS

WEIGHED IN ON THE NEW MURDER

CHARGES RUNNING IN A STATEMENT

WE EXTEND OUR SINCERE THANKS

TO LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS

AND THE DISTRICT ATTORNEYS

OFFICE WHO'VE BEEN DILIGENTLY

WORKING ON HER CASE.

>> AND TONIGHT, MY OR TELLS US

THAT IF KITE AND FLANAGAN ARE

CONVICTED OF SECOND-DEGREE

MURDER, THEY MIGHT FACE MORE

THAN A DECADE IN PRISON.

A DECADE BEHIND BARS HERE.

WE'VE REACHED OUT TO BOTH KITE

AND FLANAGAN'S ATTORNEYS.

NEITHER WANTED TO RESPOND TO