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Top inset: Madelynn Troutt (WHAS). Bottom inset: Michael Jacob Dewitt (Louisville Metro Department of Corrections). Background: The scene of the crash that killed Troutt (WHAS).
A Kentucky man who was released on bail in a previous case days before he carjacked a truck while high on drugs and killed a high school cheerleader in a wrong-way crash has learned his fate.
Michael Jacob Dewitt, 31, was sentenced to over 24 years in prison for a 2021 carjacking that killed Madelynn Troutt, 17. He pleaded guilty in October to a federal charge of carjacking resulting in death.
Local Fox affiliate WDRB reported that the killer apologized in court, saying to the Troutt family, “I have a debt to society.”
The victim’s mother, Marcie Troutt, reacted to the apology.
“I have to say, after four years, it’s something I — I wasn’t expecting to hear. But I’m glad I heard it, and I hope that he meant what he said … and I hope that he does so my daughter’s death isn’t in vain, that he turns his life around,” she said. “I want to. I do. I think my faith in God has helped me a whole lot through this process. So yes, I want to say I do believe that he is sorry.”
The events leading up to the crash began on Feb. 16, 2021, when Dewitt was arrested in Louisville and charged with receiving stolen property, public intoxication by a controlled substance, and other charges. WDRB reported he allegedly injured an officer while he was trying to get away from police in that case.
The local chapter of The Bail Project posted Dewitt’s $5,000 bond in that case, saying he had a drug addiction and that he agreed to seek rehabilitation treatment.
He was released from custody on Feb. 24, 2021.
Five days later, on March 1, 2021, while high on amphetamines and benzodiazepines, Dewitt carjacked a 2011 Ford F350 at gunpoint from a resident and then drove off. He crossed into opposing lanes of traffic on Dixie Highway in Louisville, fatally wounding Troutt.
After the crash, he hit a pole and then tried to run away but was kept at the scene by witnesses who held him until police arrived.
Troutt’s family unsuccessfully sued The Bail Project. The Bail Project’s regional director, Matthew McFarland, spoke out to local NBC affiliate WAVE about the decision. He told the station the information they had about Dewitt’s previous case all related to drugs.
“Hindsight is 20/20,” McFarland said. “If we ever would have seen anything even close to something happening where someone was injured or hurt, we would not proceed with the bailout.”
Troutt was a senior at Butler High School. Her family created a memorial scholarship at Bellarmine University, where she had been accepted and planned to study nursing. Her family also created an annual golf scramble in her name to raise funds for the scholarship.
Dewitt, who has a criminal history dating back to 2012, faces a state murder charge in the case.
Alberto Luperon contributed to this report.
