Summer Wheaton, the 33-year-old Instagram influencer accused of killing a California man while drinking and driving in 2024, has been arrested. Wheaton surrendered to police in Malibu, California on Monday, per ABC News. She faces multiple charges that include gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and driving under the influence.
Wheaton is now released after posting bond. On July 4, 2024, she allegedly crossed the median and crashed head-on into rideshare driver Martin Okeke, who was 44 years old. A passenger in Okeke’s car was taken to the hospital, People reported.
According to ABC News, Wheaton was returning from a party in Malibu at the time of the crash. She took a brief break from Instagram after the crash, but returned in December and posted a video. In the clip, she said “it’s all falling apart, but somehow it’s the start of something really beautiful.”
“I went through moments where I truly didn’t know I pulled through,” Wheaton said in her video, per ABC News. “But in the chaos, something shifted. I was reminded of a deeper truth: that beautiful things can bloom out of despair. Sometimes it’s in those broken places where faith takes root and grows stronger.”
According to NBC News, Okeke’s family filed a wrongful death lawsuit, saying Wheaton was hired to attend a party at the Nobu Malibu restaurant and she was “expected to consume intoxicants.” The lawsuit also named Nobu Malibu and said the restaurant didn’t have proper permits to hold the party. Nobu Malibu was “not complying with the City’s plans to control for the danger of drunk driving,” the lawsuit stated, per NBC News.
