A 50-year-old man was charged on Monday, September 21, 2026, with six counts of causing death by dangerous driving over a fireball crash that killed a couple, two of their young daughters and two people traveling on a motorcycle. Christopher Cockell is due to appear at Leeds Magistrates’ Court on October 28, 2026, over the collision on the A61 between Staincross and Newmillerdam on July 21, 2024.
Cockell had previously been charged, in March 2025, with failing to stop at the scene of the crash.
Shannen Morgan, 30, and Shane Roller, 33, died in the crash along with two of their daughters, Rubie, nine, and Lillie, four. The couple’s surviving daughter was not in the vehicle.
Christopher Barton, 56, and Janine Barton, 48, from Barnsley, were both on the BMW motorcycle involved in the collision, and they also died.
What an Inquest Heard
An inquest previously heard that the silver Ford Focus driven by Shane Roller collided head-on with the BMW motorcycle ridden by Christopher Barton. The collision, described as a fireball crash, happened at around 3:50 p.m. Cockell faces one count of causing death by dangerous driving for each of the six people who died.
A Family “Lost for Words”
The deaths tore through two extended families. Callum Roller, Shane Roller’s brother, wrote on social media at the time that he was “lost for words,” and paid tribute to those killed.
“You all had a heart of gold and gonna miss you all like crazy!” Callum Roller wrote.
A GoFundMe page was set up in the wake of the crash to pay for the education, emotional support and future care of the couple’s surviving daughter, who lost her mother, her father and two sisters in a single afternoon.
Charges Filed in Other Fatal Crashes
Cockell’s case is one of a number of fatal-crash prosecutions moving through the courts, each brought months or years after the crash itself.
In Michigan, the Ingham County Prosecutor’s Office charged a 24-year-old, Tyler Reck, with a pair of reckless driving counts resulting in death, plus two counts of committing a moving violation that caused a death inside a work zone. The charges stem from a May 26, 2026, crash on U.S. 127 northbound in the area of Holt Road. According to investigators, Reck was traveling at high speed when his vehicle went out of control and hit two Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) workers, Bruce Wagner, 51, and Steve Spenle, 49, both of whom were killed. A judge set bond at $25,000 personal recognizance.
In Riverside County, California, a California deputy, Glynn Wilburn, 42, faces counts of gross vehicular manslaughter and a felony count of reckless driving that inflicted serious injury in connection with an on-duty crash on September 6, 2025; prosecutors announced the charges in June 2026. Prosecutors said Wilburn ran a red light at speed and struck a young couple’s car at 71 mph, killing Gavin Hinkley, 21, and leaving his fiancée, Madeline Fox, 20, with life-threatening injuries. He could face up to 14 years in prison if convicted. The Riverside County Sheriff’s Office said he was on administrative leave.
In New York, a similar case has already ended in a guilty plea. Felix Jose Pantaleon Tavarez, 24, of Lindenhurst, pleaded guilty on Friday, September 4, 2026, to manslaughter, assault and reckless driving over a September 22, 2024, crash on the Southern State Parkway near Exit 39S in North Babylon. Suffolk County prosecutors said he reached speeds of up to 121 mph, cut off other drivers, weaved between lanes and filmed himself on his phone. The collision sent both cars off the road and into trees, and Reynaldo Collado, 49, of West Babylon died at the scene. Sentencing is set for October 23, 2026.
What Happens Next in Leeds
For the relatives of the six people killed on the A61, the court process is only beginning. Two families were left grieving after the crash, one in Barnsley and one that lost a mother, a father and two young girls, with a surviving daughter whose care and schooling became the focus of a public fundraising appeal.
Cockell, 50, faces six counts of causing death by dangerous driving when his case is called at Leeds Magistrates’ Court on October 28.
