A man accused of driving a boat while impaired and striking two swimmers on Harris Lake in Chatham County in August 2025 is expected in court on Monday.
Quinten Kight, 40, from Vass, North Carolina, faces several charges, including second-degree murder, following the Aug. 2, 2025, boat crash. The crash killed Apex 10-year-old Brooklyn Carroll and critically injured Jennifer Stehle, a social worker and mother of one of Carroll’s friends, whose leg was amputated.
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Sources familiar with the matter tell WRAL News that Kight is expected to enter a plea deal on Monday. Those same sources stress nothing is final until it plays out in court.
WRAL News was told that supporters of both victims' families are expected in court to watch the hearing, which is scheduled for 10 a.m. You can watch live coverage on jshu.net and on WRAL's YouTube channel.
At least 10 people were on board the boat that day, including two children. In addition to being impaired, Kight was not looking forward in the direction of the boat's path at the time of the crash, according to warrants.
Investigators said they found 39 empty alcoholic seltzer cans in the boat.
A warrant filed by an investigator revealed Kight had red and glassy eyes and was hard to understand when talking to a law enforcement officer. He was eating a sandwich when first contacted, which the investigator believed was a ploy to potentially cover the smell of alcohol on his breath.
His girlfriend, Annemarie Flanigan, who owned the boat, was charged with second-degree murder, felony death by impaired boating and aiding and abetting boating while impaired. Flanigan entered a plea of not guilty on July 16, 2026, and her next hearing is scheduled for Sept.14.
Carroll's parents have filed a wrongful death civil lawsuit in Wake County Superior Court against Kight, Flanigan and other passengers on the boat. The civil trial is set to begin in August 2027.
