Charges: Woman fatally dragged victim with car in Maplewood hit-and-run

A St. Paul woman has been charged with murder after she allegedly hit two women with her car, killing one.

Ashley Renee Couch, 34, was charged with one count of 2nd-degree murder in the death of Zakirrah Anderson, 23, in Ramsey County Court on Friday. She was also charged with one count of 2nd-degree assault with a dangerous weapon.

Maplewood police responded to a report of a pedestrian who had been hit by a vehicle at the intersection of Larpenteur Avenue East and Dieter Street North at around 9:20 p.m. Wednesday.

At the scene, police found Anderson lying in the road. She had suffered injuries that indicated she had been dragged under a vehicle “for an extended distance,” according to the criminal complaint.

Anderson was treated by medics at the scene before she was taken to Regions Hospital, where she later died.

A witness told police that two groups had planned to meet in the area to fight. One group included the witness and Anderson, while the other included Couch.

Police reviewed a Snapchat video from the scene, which showed Anderson and others standing on Larpenteur Avenue. A Dodge Charger then struck Anderson and another woman.

The surviving victim was thrown into the air, while Anderson was dragged under the car.

The surviving victim told police that the fight had stemmed from an incident earlier that day in which one group had shot at the other..

A "concerned citizen" later gave police a tip that Couch was the driver of the Charger.

Police were able to locate the vehicle in St. Paul on Thursday. Its rear license plate had been removed and it was hidden from public view by trash cans at the time, police noted.

Couch denied knowing anything about the incident when she was arrested but did admit to being in the area at the time of the fight when shown the Snapchat video. She also stated her baby was in the vehicle at the time.