Upstate NY man, 21, charged with killing sister, niece in head-on crash
An upstate New York man was charged with murdering three people – including his own sister and little niece – when he fatally plowed his pickup truck into the car his sibling was driving, state police said.
Evan Klink, of the town of Freedom, was arrested Thursday, about three months after he was behind the wheel of his Dodge Ram that “abruptly” veered into oncoming traffic and collided with a 2005 Ford Focus that Dahlia Klink was operating, state police said.
The 21-year-old suspect was allegedly high on drugs at the time of the fatal crash on June 17 around noon, according to one of the charges filed by police.
His sister Dahlia, 24, succumbed to her injuries a day after the wreck.
Her 6-year-old daughter, Molly Kibler, and 17-year-old Havanah Lopez were pronounced dead at the scene on Freedom Road, authorities said.
A 4-year-old passenger was airlifted to the hospital after she was badly injured.
Evan’s 19-year-old brother, Cameron Klink, was inside the Dodge at the time and was seriously injured.
State police said Evan was charged with three counts of second-degree murder.
He is also facing aggravated vehicular homicide, first-degree vehicular manslaughter, first-degree vehicular assault, driving while ability impaired by drugs and reckless driving.
A state police spokesperson previously told The Post witnesses said Evan “abruptly” went into the oncoming lane, though investigators were trying to determine if he made the sudden maneuver on purpose.
A local pastor previously said Evan felt awful about the wreckage.
“I don’t have answers, but I walked with Evan, who was the driver, and there is not one second where he wouldn’t trade places,” Freedom Baptist Church pastor Steven Hammond told WIVB days after the crash. “He needs grace … grace and love.”
Hammond also reportedly claimed there was “no animosity” between Evan and Dahlia’s fiancé when the two saw each other in the hospital.
“I’m telling you there’s a deep relationship of grace toward one another,” Pastor Hammond told the station.
“There was no animosity toward one another. I saw a father that’s nurturing his daughter in the hospital and putting his arm around the driver of the truck and showing grace and love and mercy, and telling him, we got to get through this.”
State police did not provide more details into the crash investigation when the arrest was announced Thursday.
Dahlia leaves behind her fiancé and another young daughter, according to an obituary.
The youngest fatal victim, Molly Kibler, was remembered for her joy of soccer and camping, according to her obituary.
“She also had a love for elephants,” the obituary said.
