Cumberland County Woman Sentenced For Crash That Killed Elderly Couple
Thursday, October 16, 2025, 7:15 A.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,
VINELAND, NJ.- Last Friday, a 30-year-old Vineland, New Jersey, woman was sentenced to nearly a decade in New Jersey State Prison for causing a fatal crash that claimed the lives of Gary Lawson, 76, and Diane Lindquist, 73, both of Millville, New Jersey, that occurred on February 10, 2024, in Vineland, New Jersey.
According to Cumberland County Prosecutor Jennifer Webb-McRae, on Friday, October 10, 2025, Malexus Coleman, 30, of Vineland, New Jersey, appeared in Cumberland County Superior Court and was sentenced by Superior Court Judge Niki Arbittier to eight years in State Prison for her previously entered guilty plea to two counts of second-degree Vehicular Homicide.
The guilty plea and sentence stem from a fatal crash investigation that occurred on February 10, 2024, at the intersection of South Delsea and College Drives in Vineland, New Jersey. During the investigation, Investigators determined that a Ford Taurus operated by Mr. Lawson was making a left-hand turn on College Drive when it was struck by a Dodge Durango driven by Coleman, who was traveling along Delsea Drive.
Investigators Recovered Data That Revealed That Coleman Was Speeding
According to the data recovered from Coleman’s vehicle, Investigators learned that she was traveling at 84 to 85 miles per hour about five seconds before the crash. About one-and-a-half seconds before the collision, Coleman’s vehicle was traveling right around 64 miles per hour. The posted speed limit on Delsea Drive is 45 miles per hour. The investigation further determined that if Coleman had been driving between 45 and 55 miles per hour, Lawson’s vehicle would have been able to safely complete the turn and avoid being struck.
Coleman was initially indicted on November 20, 2024, by a Cumberland County Grand Jury, charging her with two counts of second-degree Vehicular Homicide. On July 14, 2025, Coleman appeared in Cumberland County Superior Court and pleaded guilty before Judge Arbittier to the charges. Pursuant to her negotiated plea agreement, Judge Arbittier sentenced Coleman to eight years on each count and ordered them to run concurrently.
