A week before social media influencer Summer Wheaton surrendered herself to California authorities to face charges connected to a deadly DUI crash last summer, she made a video post encouraging her viewers about miracles in times of hardship.
Wheaton, a wellness and lifestyle advocate on social media, turned herself in to the Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station on Feb. 24 as the suspect in a fatal collision that killed a 44-year-old rideshare driver last July.
Before her arrest, Wheaton posted a video on her Instagram about keeping the faith through seasons of struggle and doubt.
“You may not believe this, but your miracle is right on the other side of your lowest moment,” Wheaton states in the clip posted on Feb. 17. “I know that that sounds crazy to say, but I have experienced it.”
The collision Wheaton was charged for happened on July 4, 2024, shortly after she left the exclusive party at Nobu Malibu. Investigators say she was driving on Pacific Highway when she crossed the median and crashed head-on into Martin Okeke’s Cadillac SUV, which was heading in the opposite direction.
The crash took place just a mile from the site of the party and closed the highway for nearly 12 hours as crews cleared the debris and deputies investigated the scene.
Okeke died at the crash scene, and Wheaton and another passenger were transported to a local hospital where they were treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
A warrant was recently issued for Wheaton’s arrest, and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department booked her for several charges, including gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and driving under the influence with a BAC of .08% or more. She was released on a $250,000 bond.
Wheaton is a content creator with more than 100,000 followers on Instagram. In her last post on that page, she describes moments when she prayed for peace in times of disbelief and mental warfare.
“When you think it’s time to give up, right in that moment of defeat, right in that moment where you’re like, ‘God, I have no more strength, no more courage, no more wisdom, no more faith,’ you release it,” Wheaton stated in her video. “And as soon you release it, that’s when God is right on the other side and like, “Alright, girl, I’ll pick you up.”
Okeke’s family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Wheaton late last year, claiming that she was “severely intoxicated and impaired” at the time of the collision, KABC reported.
According to CBS News, the suit also accused Hwood Group and Nobu Malibu of knowing that she was “unsafe to drive her vehicle, but still provided [Wheaton] with her keys and car.”
Last summer, city officials said they denied Nobu the permits to hold the party, citing traffic and safety conditions that the restaurant owners had not complied with, but Nobu went on to host the party anyway.
Last December, Wheaton launched her faith-based planner, Template of Life, which is described on the product website as a tool that combines “intentional planning with devotionals, habit trackers, and vision boards” to help its users live a “meaningful, faith-filled life.”
In a video promoting the planner posted six months after the crash, Wheaton told viewers that the “last few months have been hard” and that she “went through moments where I truly didn’t know how I’d pull through.”
