Driver accused of killing boxer Hannah Rapp is known menace behind the wheel
· Toronto Sun
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The driver who allegedly intentionally struck and killed boxing star Hannah Rapp boasts a lengthy rap sheet that dates back to 2012 — and includes an arrest for a hit-and-run.
Charles Eric Medina, 31, was arrested on manslaughter charges for hitting the 26-year-old rising star in the featherweight world over the weekend.
Rapp and her boyfriend, Will Pollalis, were cycling near the community of Navasota, Tex., where Medina is from, on Saturday morning when police said Medina sped dangerously close to the pair, which caused Pollalis to throw his hands up and yell toward the vehicle, according to an affidavit obtained by KBTX .
Medina then slammed on the brakes, skidded to a stop and reversed into Rapp, who knocked her head into the vehicle’s rear window before hitting the ground, according to the report.
First responders provided medical care, the Brazos County Sheriff’s Office said, before Rapp was taken to hospital where she died of her injuries.
Medina’s lengthy rap sheet
Medina had previously been arrested 13 times in Brazos County alone since 2012, according to jail records obtained by the outlet.
He was arrested for reckless driving and evading arrest with a vehicle in 2012 and pleaded guilty to both cases, ESPN reported.
Medina was arrested again for reckless driving in 2014, and for a hit-and-run in 2020.
His most recent arrests were for discharging a firearm in 2024 and evading arrest last year, according to the outlet.
The two most recent court cases remain open, and it is unclear if the older cases were resolved, the report said.
What the accused told police
Medina is currently being held on a US$250,000 bond on manslaughter charges for the fatal strike of Rapp.
The accused killer was also ordered to have a psychological evaluation.
According to the affidavit, Medina claimed he reversed slowly, “15 miles per hour,” to talk to Pollalis, but investigators determined that the physical evidence at the scene — the skid marks, the severity of the vehicle damage, and Rapp’s final resting position — instead indicated a heavy impact.
Rapp was star in the making
Rapp was a star athlete at Purdue University before she transitioned to boxing less than five years ago.
She left Indiana and moved to Texas in 2024, and worked as a fire and life safety inspector at Texas A&M while establishing her boxing career out of Byron, Tex.
A GoFundMe has been launched to help with funeral expenses, medical bills, travel and other unexpected costs.
“Hannah was resilient. She was brave and insightful, always pushing others to do their best,” the fundraising page reads. “She loved her family so incredibly much, and moving from Indiana to Texas meant distance for her friends and family. Hannah was an inspiration. Even on her hardest days, she continued to bring love, laughter, and light into the lives of others.”
The message added: “She will be deeply missed, forever loved, and never forgotten. As Hannah would say, ‘commit to the bit,’ and sweet friend, we are committed to fighting for you.”
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