A former college football player who suited up for both Ohio State and Penn State was arrested on Wednesday and accused of causing an ATV accident that took his girlfriend’s life, police said.
Julian Fleming, 24, surrendered to police and was charged with homicide by motor vehicle, DUI and a host of other related offenses, Pennsylvania State Police said.
Alyssa Boyd, 23, was the passenger on an ATV operated by Fleming when it crashed and killed her on May 23 in Columbia Township, in northeast Pennsylvania, about 20 miles south of Elmira, New York, police said.
Fleming was released after posting a $75,000 bond, defense lawyer David Bahuriak said.
Fleming cooperated with police and submitted to a blood-alcohol test that registered at .118, his attorney said.
"A deer ran into the roadway," Bahuriak told NBC News on Thursday. "They were both knocked unconscious. When he came to, she wasn't breathing. He was traumatized."
Fleming's attorney contested the top charge, calling the tragedy "unavoidable."
"Regardless of whether there was alcohol involved or there wasn't alcohol involved, this was an unavoidable event," he said. "He hasn't done anything wrong. He hadn't operated (the ATV) in unlawful manner. He hadn't done anything wrong when this deer ran into the roadway."
Fleming played five seasons of college football, the first four in Columbus and his final campaign for Penn State.
His most successful year came in 2022 when the junior hauled in 34 catches, good for 533 yards and six touchdowns — all single-season career highs for the then-Buckeye.
Fleming’s productivity declined in 2023 before the Catawissa, Pennsylvania, native transferred to Penn State for his final year of eligibility in 2024. The fifth-year Penn State wide receiver caught 14 passes for 176 and a single TD.
He went undrafted but was still training in hope of hooking on with an NFL team, Bahuriak said.
