Highlights
- Mikela Bahe, 30, was arrested May 6 in Flagstaff on second-degree murder charges in the death of Norris Taft, 52.
- Taft texted family he had been 'catfished' by his date before the fatal collision in a Phoenix parking lot.
- Surveillance footage captured the SUV accelerating into Taft as he stood with arms extended in front of the vehicle.
- Bahe's bond was set at $1 million; her preliminary hearing is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Friday.
A Phoenix woman is facing a second-degree murder charge after court records allege she intentionally drove a Cadillac Escalade over a man she had met on a dating app hours earlier, a man who had already texted family that he had been deceived about who she was.
Mikela Bahe, 30, was booked on counts of second-degree murder, vehicle theft, and leaving the scene of an accident with injury or death following the May 3 death of Norris Taft, 52. Her bond was set at $1 million, according to the KTAR report by Serena O'Sullivan.
According to the probable cause statement cited in the arrest records, Taft sent a text message saying he had been "catfished" by his date before the fatal collision. The two had met through MocoSpace, a social networking app. Taft picked Bahe up at a Dunkin' around 11:20 a.m. and drove her to a Curaleaf dispensary before the two arrived at the Bridgewater Apartments at 16th Street and Maryland Avenue around 1:15 p.m., the arrest report says.
Security footage from the apartment complex shows a woman emerging from the building and entering a black Cadillac Escalade. The arrest records describe what happened next: Taft appears to step in front of the slowly moving SUV with his arms extended, as if signaling it to stop. The vehicle then accelerated. According to the arrest records, "The vehicle continued to drive westbound in the parking lot, driving over the victim, and then fled northbound out of the parking lot."
Bahe was arrested in Flagstaff on May 6, three days after the incident, and returned to Phoenix. She told investigators she had no memory of events after leaving the dispensary until the following morning. After investigators showed her surveillance video of the incident, she again said she did not remember what happened. The arrest report says Bahe called her mother and said she messed up and was going to prison for a while.
The case has drawn coverage from azcentral and azfamily, both of which confirmed the core facts from the arrest report.
What charges does Bahe face?
Bahe was booked on three counts: second-degree murder, vehicle theft, and leaving the scene of an accident with injury or death. Her bond was set at $1 million. All charges reflect allegations in the arrest report; no verdict has been entered.
Bahe's preliminary hearing is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Friday.
Sources
Every factual claim in this article traces to one of the sources below. See how we work for the editorial process.
- ktar.com retrieved 14/05/2026 16:45
Authored by The Scottsdale Signal. Drafted by AI from primary-source material under our beat-specific editorial guides; reviewed by humans before publish under our five-gate process. Sources retrieved at 14/05/2026 16:45. Every claim traces to a source.
