A man has been arrested and charged with manslaughter following the death of American professional boxer Hannah Rapp, who was killed while cycling in Texas on Saturday in an apparent road rage incident.
26-year-old Rapp, one of the rising stars of the US boxing scene, was riding her bike with a friend yesterday morning, on the FM 159 road near Navasota, Texas, when motorist Charles Medina passed the two cyclists at around 10am.
According to a statement released by Brazos County Sheriff’s Office, 31-year-old Medina then “stopped his vehicle, reversed, and struck one of the cyclists, leaving Rapp lying in the road.
Paramedics arrived on the scene, before Rapp was transported to a local hospital. She died later on Saturday night from her injuries.
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“At this time, investigators believe this was an isolated incident. The investigation remains active and ongoing as detectives continue to gather evidence and review all available information,” the police statement continued.
“Charles Medina was arrested and charged with Manslaughter. He was transported to the Brazos County Detention Centre without incident.
“The Brazos County Sheriff’s Office extends its deepest condolences to the family and friends of Hannah Rapp during this difficult time.”
Tributes from across the boxing world have been paid to Rapp, who last month challenged Tiara Brown for the WBC women’s featherweight title, losing by unanimous decision in the bout in Orlando.
Originally from Yorktown, Indiana, Rapp was a track athlete at Purdue University before taking up boxing. Relocating to College Station, Texas, she turned pro in 2024, building an impressive 8-0-1 (eight wins and one draw) record leading up to her title fight with Brown, all while maintaining a full-time job as a fire and life safety inspector at Texas A&M University.
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In a post on Instagram, Brown described Rapp as “the best dance partner I have ever faced as a pro”.
“When she asked for my autograph, it filled my heart because we were getting ready for war, yet she was still asking for my autograph,” she wrote.
“It made me smile, we fought a great fight for the fans from the first bell to the last! It was my honour to share the ring with her.”
“The loss of Hannah Rapp leaves us heartbroken,” WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman said in a statement.
“She was an exceptional boxer, but above all, an invaluable member of our boxing family. We join in the grief that overwhelms her loved ones, her team, and all those who had the privilege of knowing and supporting her throughout her brilliant career.”
Rapp’s promoter, Most Valuable Promotions, added: “Hannah made a lasting impression on everyone who had the opportunity to meet her.
“She was a gifted athlete, a valued member of the boxing community, and someone who was deeply respected by those around her.
“We are grateful to have shared a part of her journey and will honour her memory in the weeks ahead.”
11 thoughts on “Pro boxer Hannah Rapp killed while cycling by road rage driver who deliberately reversed into her, police in Texas say”
Manslaughter?
(OK, I just wondered if the term should be changed now based on the time we are in, but I digress…)
Isn’t this the charge when death is not the intended outcome?
Given most vehicles, when driven dangerously or intentionally at someone are easily large/heavy enough for the driver to kill someone…
And as the driver should know that doing so can lead to a fatality, shouldn’t the charge go straight to murder?
If a criminal shoots someone with a gun (a normal gun, not something like an airgun), have they ever been charged with anything other than murder/attempted murder?
Yes they have; firearm manslaughter is sadly a known phenomenon in Texas and many other jurisdictions. The difference between murder and manslaughter is about intent. Doing something deliberately that may well lead to a fatality is manslaughter; it’s only murder if the deliberate and specific aim was to kill the person, and that needs to be proved in court. This is probably the right charge, if the driver acted recklessly in a way that could easily kill someone, and in fact did.
Well, “Texas law recognizes manslaughter as criminal homicide under section 19.04 of the state’s penal code. A person commits the crime of manslaughter if he or she recklessly caused the death of an individual. This differs from murder, where the accused intentionally and knowingly caused the death of someone. Manslaughter can be interpreted as an action that unintentionally caused a death, which is referred to as reckless behavior.”
I would say trying to hit a biker with a car so hard that she completely shattered the Honda’s rear hatch window and crushed the hatch inward is severely intentional. The driver has been “booked into the Brazos County Jail 13 times since 2012…Those include criminal mischief, theft, resisting arrest, assault, hit and run, escape from custody, deadly conduct, possession of a controlled substance, and multiple driving offenses.”
The reckless behaviour may have been intentional, but can you prove beyond reasonable doubt that the specific intent was to kill the cyclist? If you charge with murder instead of manslaughter and can’t convince all 12 jurors of that, you get no conviction.
@DJameson Actually in the USA it’s common to charge murder with a “lesser included” manslaughter alternative, so the jury can still convict of manslaughter if they’re not convinced of the murder evidence. In the UK a judge can offer the jury the option and say if you’re not convinced it’s murder you can still convict of manslaughter.
@DJameson yes I can… he intentionally drove at speed at a cyclist, hit them as he intended, and killed them as any reasonable person would have expected.
None of that is in question, those are the facts, the only question here is why killing someone on a bike requires a higher standard of proof. Do you know of some reason why the driver would or could not have known that hitting someone really hard with a car would kill them? Driving too close to some one crossing the road without looking and clipping them and killing them is manslaughter, deliberatly driving at them to cause leathal bodily harm as succeeding is murder! Or at least is absolutely should be.
@mitsky Yes, even in the UK there is provision for manslaughter by reason of loss of control where the behaviour of another person has led the accused to shoot them, e.g. an apprehension of immediate violence from the victim, or when the accused has lost control due to a mental health condition.
… and road rage while on four wheels? That’s an aceptable thing is it?
“Sorry your hournor but I’m not a murderer. I just got so angry about seeing someone using a perfectly legal alternative mode of transport I tried and succedeed in killing another human being… but I never murdered no one”
Yeah… road rage is a totally ok reason to kill someone, very defensible, slap on the wrist type thing.
@rideANDdie
100% agree.
It is quite hard to imagine a driver would not understand that directly hitting someone hard with a car/large vehicle could lead to killing them.
@Rendel Harris
That doesn’t apply.
ie self-defense or the killer was mentally impaired (which can be shown/tested by the authorities later)
The driver was not in danger from the cyclist.
And even if the cyclist tried to attack them, the driver could have locked their doors and closed their windows.
The worst the cyclist could have done is dent/scratch the car with their bike (maybe partially damage/smash a window), assuming they didn’t have a weapon.
And the driver, if fearing for their safety, could have driven away.
@mitsky I didn’t say it was applicable in this case or that I thought it should be, I was simply answering your question as to whether anyone had ever shot someone and been charged with anything other than murder or attempted murder, to which the answer is yes.
I hate the term road rage, as if it is an excuse for violent hate filled thuggery. Cycle hate should be a defined hate crime with enhanced penalties and….Rod Liddle should be In chains somewhere dark and damp picking apart old tarred ropes!