UNC students, including football player, charged in deadly Chapel Hill crash

Two students from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill are charged in a crash that killed another student. The charges indicate speeding and alcohol were factors in the crash.

The driver of the car that crashed faces multiple felonies, and a football player who was in another car also faces charges. WRAL News was told street racing may be involved.

Around 2:30 a.m. on Sunday, Jan. 21, officers with the Chapel Hill Police Department responded to a single-car crash at the intersection of Raleigh Road and W. Barbee Chapel Road.

UNC student Mary Elizabeth Rotunda, 20, of Greensboro, a passenger in the car, died in the crash.

Another passenger, Brianna Tiera Pinson, 21, and the driver, Flemeeja Beatrice Brewer, 20, both of Greensboro, suffered non-life-threatening injuries. Brewer faces multiple felony charges.

The driver of another car, Zachary O’Brien Rice, 20, from Virginia, was charged with driving after consuming while under 21, consuming/possession of alcohol under 21 and exceeding a posted speed limit. A spokesperson confirmed Rice is a UNC student, and his hometown and birthday match a sophomore offensive lineman listed on the UNC football team roster.

A 2023 speeding charge for Rice also lists him as a football player. Paperwork for the past charge indicates Rice was driving too quickly and told the officer he was trying to get to the weight room for football.

Brewer, the driver who survived the crash, faces multiple charges, including:

• Felony death by vehicle
• Felony serious injury by vehicle
• Involuntary manslaughter
• Driving while impaired
• Speeding
• Failure to maintain lane control
• Driving after consuming while under 21
• Fraudulent use of ID to commit underage offense
• Transport/possession of an open container of alcoholic beverage
• Careless and reckless driving
• Exceeding a posted speed

Pinson, the other passenger, faces two counts of aiding and abeting consumption of alcohol by a person under 21.

A spokesperson for UNC said Rotunda and Brewer were UNC students, and Pinson attended N.C. Central University.

A crash report indicates Brewer was traveling east on Raleigh Road, lost control and drove into a wooded area, hitting a street sign and trees. Documents show the car was speeding at 124 mph in a 45 mph zone. The car rolled and landed on its roof, according to the crash report.

WRAL News learned police are looking into racing as a possible cause of the crash.

Brewer’s first appearance in court is scheduled for Feb. 19. Rice is scheduled to appear in court March 7.