IFN Staff

A suspect in the April 19 crash on Interstate 77 that killed two Mooresville women faces new charges as a result of the ongoing investigation by the N.C. State Highway Patrol.

Benjamin Wesley Overton, 31, of Hanley Way, Walkertown, is now charged with two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of aggravated felony death by motor vehicle.

Overton was operating a 2006 Ford F-250 that struck a 2023 Kia Sportage driven by Jessica Lyndsay Horton of Mooresville about 10:10 p.m. on I-77 near mile marker 62, according to the NCSHP.

Speed and impairment were factors in the crash that claimed the lives of Horton and a passenger in the Kia, Patricia Marie Osorno, according to troopers.

Overton was initially charged with two counts of felony death by vehicle, misdemeanor DWI, and misdemeanor reckless driving with wanton disregard.

Troopers consulted with the Iredell County District Attorney’s Office before filing the additional charges.

Overton’s bond was increased to $2.5 million. He remains jailed at the Iredell County Detention Center.

According to the N.C Department of Adult Correction, Overton’s criminal record includes three DWI convictions. Additional charges include purchase of a firearm by a felon, breaking and entering, larceny of firearm, larceny after breaking or entering and larceny, which were consolidated into a single judgment.

Overton is also charged with violating the terms of his parole, which was scheduled to end on May 4.