Mourners gather to remember mother and daughter killed in car crash in Boynton
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BOYNTON BEACH – In front of a packed nave at the Bible Church of God in Boynton Beach, Junel Pochette described his wife, Marcia, as a “gift from God.”
Pochette’s daughter, Jenice Woods, was remembered by her husband Devin for her “smile that lit up a room.”
Hundreds gathered at the church Saturday morning for a two-hour memorial service of prayers, singing and moments of reflection to remember the lives of Marcia Pochette and Jenice Woods, who were killed July 30 in a car crash that led to the arrest of a man who investigators say fled from police.
“It was hard for me,” said Junel Pochette. “On July 30, my life changed… Every day is like a dream for me. But I ask God for strength.”
Pochette said he and Marcia celebrated their 33rd anniversary.rd Anniversary in November.
The couple’s daughter was remembered for her passion for education, with one speaker describing her as a perfectionist when it came to school. Woods, a graduate of Boynton Beach High School and Florida Atlantic University, had recently accepted a teaching position at Renaissance Charter School.
She was 26 years old.
Marcia Pochette, 57, a native of Jamaica, worked as a home health aide and was a deacon at the House of God Delray Beach. She is remembered as a loving mother of three children and for her work as a home health aide.
Police investigation into a fatal accident resulted in an arrest and an internal affairs review
Boynton Beach Police investigators said that just before 8 p.m. on July 30, a mother and daughter were traveling on North Congress Avenue near Meadows Boulevard in Boynton Beach when their Toyota Corolla was struck by a Kia Stinger driven by 23-year-old Neoni Copeland of Boynton Beach.
Boynton investigators said Copeland fled from West Palm Beach police for unknown reasons before the crash. West Palm Beach police are currently conducting an internal investigation into the circumstances of the crash. The officers involved have been placed on paid leave.
Copeland was arrested in the hours following the crash. He was arrested on two counts of leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death and one count of resisting arrest. He is being held in the Palm Beach County Jail on $50,000 bail and is scheduled to appear in court on August 29, when prosecutors will file charges.
Julius Whigham II is a criminal justice and public safety reporter for the Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at [email protected] and follow him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at @JuliusWhighamSupport our work: Subscribe today.
