Spangle
By: Brian Wells | Roseville-Eastpointe Eastsider | Published May 8, 2026
ROSEVILLE — A Warren man pleaded no contest May 5 to charges related to a fatal hit-and-run that happened in Roseville in 2023.
On Aug. 18, 2023, Justin Spangle, now 46, was allegedly operating a vehicle with a suspended license when he struck a pedestrian who had been walking on the on-ramp from Groesbeck Highway to eastbound Interstate 696 in Roseville and fled the scene.
The pedestrian, a 14-year-old boy from Warren who had autism, died from his injuries.
Spangle reportedly was located four days later after what Michigan State Police called a “system search” in a social media post.
On Tuesday, Spangle pleaded no contest as charged before Circuit Court Judge Jennifer Faunce. A no contest plea is the same as a conviction in terms of the court’s sentencing, but it is not a formal admission of guilt that could be used in a civil case.
Spangle pleaded to one count of operating with a suspended, revoked or denied license causing death, a 15-year felony; tampering with evidence in a criminal case, a 10-year felony; and failure to stop at a scene of an accident resulting in serious injury or death, a five-year felony.
Spangle entered his plea on the same day that his trial was scheduled to begin.
According to the Prosecutor’s Office, Spangle’s attorney, Michael Dennis, requested an agreement from the judge to a sentence at the bottom end of the applicable guidelines, which calls for 36 to 71 months in prison in exchange for the plea, which Faunce accepted.
Dennis could not be reached for further comment before press time.
In a statement, Prosecutor Peter Lucido called the incident “profoundly tragic.”
“My office will continue to pursue justice on behalf of the victim and his family, who will carry the weight of this loss for the rest of their lives,” he said.
Spangle is scheduled to be sentenced at 8:30 a.m. June 23 by Faunce.