A young woman from Adelaide has been charged with murder, months after a fatal crash in the city’s northern suburbs. Hayley McCarthy-Long, 21, is accused of killing Daniel “DJ” Harrison, who died after being struck by a car during a violent confrontation at Hillier last November.
McCarthy-Long was initially charged with causing death by dangerous driving. However, the case has since been taken over by Major Crime detectives, who allege she intentionally drove at the 25-year-old Andrews Farm father. It is alleged she was behind the wheel with four others in her car when Harrison was struck. She was arrested shortly after the November 11 incident.
Tensions inside the courtroom were high, with McCarthy-Long and her family kept apart from Harrison’s grieving relatives. Many of them packed the gallery, including his father, who witnessed the alleged confrontation on Hillier Road. “No one understands what it is to be grieving but also fighting for justice at the same time ... how is it fair on us,” Harrison’s sister Paige said. Another sister, Kashaya, said the family has been left devastated. “She’s out on bail living her life when my family and me are grieving for the last five-and-a-half months… and we can’t do anything about it,” she said.
McCarthy-Long’s lawyer, Stacey Carter, argued that her client was trying to escape danger. “My client was in a vehicle when her vehicle was being attacked quite savagely by the deceased,” Carter said. “She has escaped and fled that situation.” But Harrison’s mother, Kelly, strongly rejected that version of events, telling 7NEWS: “My son was loved. He was important and he deserves to be remembered for who he truly was, not for the things that have been said since his death.”
The case will return to court next month.
