Former wide receiver Julian Fleming, who played for both Ohio State and Penn State, now faces multiple felony charges, including murder, related to an ATV accident that resulted in the death of his girlfriend, 23-year-old Alyssa Boyd, earlier this year.
At a court arraignment in Bradford County, Pennsylvania, on Wednesday, Fleming, 24, was charged with vehicular homicide and aggravated vehicular assault.
According to state police, the incident occurred on May 23 when Fleming was driving an ATV near the Pennsylvania-New York border. He struck a deer shortly after 8 p.m. Boyd was pronounced dead at the scene, while Fleming was taken to a hospital and later released.
Authorities noted that neither Fleming nor Boyd was using any safety equipment at the time.
Fleming was able to post bail set at $75,000 later that same day. Reports indicate his blood alcohol content was 0.118, exceeding Pennsylvania’s legal limit of 0.08.
According to a police affidavit, Fleming admitted to consuming five or six beers prior to the accident. He also reportedly mentioned to someone else at the scene that he had been drinking.
In Boyd’s online obituary, it was noted that she graduated with a degree in psychology from the University of Alabama in December and was an exceptional athlete in high school.
Fleming’s attorney, David Bahiriak, expressed condolences to Boyd’s family but claimed that there was no crime committed. He asserted that the prosecution was turning a “tragic and unavoidable accident” into a criminal charge, which he believes the facts do not support.
Bahiriak emphasized, “In my view, the prosecution here took a tragic and unavoidable accident and turned it into a crime when the facts do not support it. The facts do not support criminal homicide.”
Fleming began his college football journey at Ohio State in 2020, playing there for four seasons before transferring to Penn State. In 2024, he participated in 16 games, with 14 receptions for 176 yards and one touchdown. He later signed with the Packers as an undrafted free agent but was released after failing a physical.
