Faith Gumma: Sterling Heights Crash, Trial, and Sentence

The Faith Gumma Sterling Heights crash killed a 31-year-old pregnant mother and her unborn child on August 12, 2023, when 16-year-old Travion Smith, fleeing a Sterling Heights police traffic stop at nearly 90 mph, ran a red light at Van Dyke Avenue and 16 Mile Road and struck the Gumma family’s GMC Terrain. Faith’s husband Norman was left paralyzed, their two-year-old son Elijah was seriously injured, and Smith was convicted of second-degree murder in July 2025 and sentenced to 25 to 50 years in prison.

What Happened That Night

Around 9:30 p.m. on August 12, 2023, Sterling Heights officers spotted a tan Chevrolet Equinox heading north on Van Dyke Avenue near 15 Mile Road with its left-turn signal on for roughly a mile, which they considered a possible sign of impairment.¹ A LEIN check showed the vehicle was uninsured, and officers tried to pull it over.²

The driver, Travion Smith of Detroit, sped away. He blew through three red lights, weaved between lanes, and reached 93 mph.² At Van Dyke and 16 Mile Road, still moving at roughly 88 mph, he ran another red and crashed into the GMC Terrain driven by Norman Gumma.³

Faith Gumma was pronounced dead at the scene. Her unborn child also died.

Who Faith Gumma Was

Faith Kinaya Gumma was born July 16, 1992, the daughter of Larry Kinaya and the late Eman Dallo Kinaya, with a brother, Fedor, and a sister, Fallon.⁴ She belonged to Mar Addai Chaldean Catholic Church in Oak Park, where her resurrection mass was held, and was remembered by friends as “sweet and caring.”⁵ She lived in Sterling Heights with Norman and Elijah and was expecting their second child.

Norman and Elijah’s Injuries

Norman Gumma, 36, suffered catastrophic injuries. He was left a quadriplegic, unable to speak, and requires around-the-clock care. He communicates through eye and head movements and remains paralyzed.⁶ Elijah, two years old at the time and seated in the back, was seriously hurt but recovered.²

Community fundraising followed. A GoFundMe eventually brought in more than $292,000 from around 2,700 donors toward medical bills that the organizer said exceeded $1 million by November 2023, along with funeral costs and house payments.⁷ A separate effort called Stormin Strong raised money for treatment at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago, which Norman’s insurance did not cover.⁸

The Trial and Verdict

Smith was charged as an adult in Macomb County. Assistant Prosecutor Steve Fox told the jury the tragedy was entirely avoidable: Smith could have pulled over and received a ticket for driving without insurance. Smith’s defense called the crash “an accident, not a planned killing,” driven by an “irrational fear of the police.” Smith testified he was scared and did not understand why officers were following him. He had no alcohol or drugs in his system and no prior record.⁹

On July 24, 2025, after about three hours of deliberation, the jury convicted Smith on all counts:³

Second-degree murder for the death of Faith Gumma
Grossly negligent act causing a miscarriage for the death of her unborn child
Two counts of reckless driving causing serious impairment for the injuries to Norman and Elijah
First-degree fleeing and eluding a police officer

Michigan’s second-degree murder statute does not require an intent to kill. Prosecutors had to prove Smith acted with “wanton and willful disregard of the likelihood that the natural tendency of such behavior is to cause death or great bodily harm.”¹⁰

The Sentence

Macomb County Circuit Judge James Biernat Jr. sentenced Smith on August 26, 2025, to 25 to 50 years in prison on the murder count, with concurrent six-to-15-year terms on the remaining counts.¹¹ Smith’s attorney, Adil Haradhvala, had asked for roughly 20 years, citing Smith’s age and clean record. Biernat rejected that.

Before sentencing, the court heard victim impact statements read by the prosecutor on behalf of Faith’s best friend, Rina, and her sister, Rhonda Bakoss. They described a home once “filled with music, laughter, and love” and said the crash had “destroyed a future.” Rina said she chose to forgive Smith. Norman was not present; prosecutors told the court he had been hospitalized in the days before the hearing.²

“I don’t know that I’ve encountered a more tragic case than this,” Biernat said. He told Smith: “You literally wiped out a family. That poor man Norman, it’s a fate worse than death. And all you had to do was stop.” The judge acknowledged that “16-year-old boys are dumb” but said that had Smith simply pulled over, he would have been “pulled over and ticketed for no insurance” and sent on his way. He closed with: “Have mercy on your soul.”¹¹

Smith asked the judge to set aside the conviction or grant a new trial. He has an automatic right to appeal under Michigan law.²

What the Case Changed

The Gumma crash was one of several high-profile police-pursuit fatalities that prompted both policy and legislative responses in Michigan. In March 2024, the Michigan State Police amended their pursuit policy to allow vehicle chases only when officers have probable cause that the driver committed a “life-threatening or violent felony,” citing national research showing crashes occur in at least 30% of pursuits.¹²

Representative Rylee Linting introduced House Bill 4690, which would set mandatory minimum sentences for suspects who flee police: a 182-day minimum for less serious pursuits and up to five years for pursuits that cause injury or death. Wyandotte Police Chief Archie Hamilton testified for the bill before the House Judiciary Committee on August 27, 2025, saying the number of drivers fleeing police had increased “dramatically in the last four to five years” and that restrictive pursuit policies alone were “not working.”¹³ The bill has been reported out of the Judiciary Committee and awaits further action.¹⁴

1
Macomb Daily. Support Shown for Sterling Heights Family Involved in Tragic Crash
2
Macomb Daily. Young Driver Gets 25 Years in Crash That Killed Sterling Heights Woman, Gravely Injured Husband
3
CBS News Detroit. Detroit Teen Convicted of Murder in Sterling Heights Crash That Killed Pregnant Mother, Unborn Child
4
Mercy Funeral Home. Faith Kinaya Gumma Obituary
5
Legacy.com. Faith Gumma Obituary
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Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office. Driver Sentenced After Conviction of Second-Degree Murder, Fleeing
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GoFundMe. Faith Gumma and Norm’s Recovery
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Stormin Strong. Stormin Strong
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WDIV ClickOnDetroit. 18-Year-Old Sentenced for Murder in Deadly Macomb County Crash That Killed Pregnant Woman
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Michigan Courts. People v Gafken
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WDIV ClickOnDetroit. Teen Gets 25 Years in Prison for Deadly Sterling Heights Crash
12
Michigan State Police. State Police Amends Policy to Restrict Pursuits
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WXYZ. Michigan Lawmakers Push for Tougher Penalties on Police Pursuit Fleeing Suspects
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Michigan Legislature. House Bill 4690 Analysis