A woman from Michigan was found guilty of second-degree murder on Thursday for her role in a fatal DUI crash at a boat club last year. The incident, which occurred during a children’s birthday party, resulted in the deaths of a 4-year-old boy and his 8-year-old sister. The unique case saw prosecutors utilize video footage from the defendant’s home, showing her binge drinking and staggering, as evidence.
Assistant Monroe County Prosecutor Jeff Yorkey expressed his surprise at the use of such evidence, stating that he couldn’t recall a similar instance. The defendant, Marshella Chidester, was convicted after a four-day trial. The jury reportedly took only 90 minutes to reach a guilty verdict after viewing the security footage from the day of the crash. The video showed the 67-year-old Chidester consuming wine and stumbling inside her Newport home, located approximately 30 miles south of Detroit.
Brian Phillip, the father of the two victims, Alanah and Zayn Phillips, shared his haunting experience of watching the video. He expressed his grief, stating that his children would still be alive if Chidester had chosen not to drive that day.
Prosecutors revealed that Chidester had consumed several small, single-serving wine bottles on the day of the incident and had also visited a local bar. Security footage from her home showed her drinking at around 2:32 p.m., while a local store clerk testified that she had purchased a four-pack of single-serving pinot grigio and a regular-sized bottle of red wine at around 9 a.m.
The children’s grandmother, Kathy Phillips, expressed her grief at a hearing last year, blaming Chidester for making the choice to drink and drive, which resulted in the loss of her grandchildren.
Two days after the tragic incident, the children’s mother, Maria Dodds, filed a lawsuit against the local bar that Chidester had visited. The lawsuit claimed that the bar was negligent in serving Chidester while she was visibly intoxicated and argued that the bar should have stopped serving her alcohol and provided her with an alternative means of transportation.
The bar’s attorney, John McManus, expressed his condolences for the tragedy and asked for patience during the investigation, allowing the justice system to uncover the facts surrounding the accident.
In addition to the murder charge, Chidester was also found guilty of operating a vehicle while intoxicated causing death and five counts of operating while intoxicated causing serious injury. She was ordered to remain in custody until her sentencing on May 15.