Suspect charged with DUI, manslaughter in fatal Oxford hit-and-run

OXFORD, Miss. (WMC) - The man accused of killing an Ole Miss student and seriously wounding another is now charged with manslaughter and DUI.

Seth Rokitka, 24, was arrested Monday after the weekend crash and is in jail on a $1 million bond.

Rokitka turned himself into the Lafayette County Sheriff’s Department Monday morning after his truck was found wrecked in Marshall County.

He’s now charged with manslaughter, aggravated DUI, leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death, and leaving the scene of an accident resulting in personal injury.

Tristen Holland, 18, was arrested in Shelby County and is charged with accessory after the fact.

Both Holland and Rokitka are residents of Collierville, and Holland is a student at Collierville High School.

Police say neither of the suspects are Ole Miss students.

Walker Fielder, an Ole Miss student from Madison, Mississippi, was killed in the crash.

Action News 5 was told Fielder was the rush chair for the Ole Miss chapter of the Sigma Chi fraternity.

He celebrated his 21st birthday on Saturday.

Tim Sanderson, grand consul and president for Sigma Chi International Fraternity, issued a statement on Monday.

On the front of the on-campus house, as well as other fraternity and sorority houses, were black ribbons wrapped around the columns as a show of solidarity.

The Sigma Chi house mom did not want to go on camera, but came out a spoke to reporters, saying her boys were crushed to learn the news Sunday morning.

“All you can hope is that he’s at peace and we just continue to pray for his family and obviously the victim that’s still recovering,” Kennedy said.

At this time, there’s been no word on funeral arrangements for Fielder.

Blanche Williamson, another Ole Miss sophomore from Raleigh, North Carolina, is in the hospital with injuries sustained in the crash.

Williamson is currently recovering at Regional One in Memphis.

Ole Miss Chancellor Glenn Boyce sent a statement to students about the incident and the resources available to students who need them.

Many students reporters spoke with on Ole Miss’s campus Monday afternoon didn’t know the victims personally, but said the incident hit close to home, as many go out to bars and restaurants on Oxford Square, especially on a Saturday night when Ole Miss football is performing well in the world of college football.

“It could happen to anyone,” said Ole Miss student Avery Hunter. “It’s kind of scary.”

Paige Case, another student standing next to Hunter said “I always consider Oxford, in general, to be a really safe place. I don’t think it’s really a reflection of Oxford. It’s just a reflection of the people who did it.”

“It’s just tragic,” said Gabe Shaw, an Ole Miss sophomore.

“It’s honestly really hard to hear about,” echoed Jack Kennedy, a freshman at Ole Miss.

“I’ve lived here for a few years. I’ve been in the area, but I’m from Southaven (MS), originally,” said Ole Miss sophomore Andrew Simmons. “Living near Memphis, you see headlines like that, but when you think of Oxford, Mississippi, you don’t think of stuff like that.”

Meanwhile, Oxford police say Rokitka and Holland had no prior interactions with the victims before the crash, their paths did not cross, and were in fact at separate establishments all night.

They also say Rokitka and Holland did nothing to render aid or call 911 after the crash, despite being aware of what they had just done.

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