A 67-year-old Michigan woman, Marshella Chidester, was sentenced to 25 to 50 years in prison after crashing her SUV while drunk into a birthday party. She ended up killing two siblings, ages 8 and 4. During her sentencing hearing, Chidester begged her victims’ family to forgive her.
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As reported by the New York Post, Chidester’s sentencing hearing took place on Thursday, May 15. In the courtroom, Chidester said that she had asked the “Lord to forgive me.” She later addressed the victims’ family present in the courtroom, asking for their forgiveness.
“I never meant to harm those children. I’m so very sorry, and I never ever meant to come across as not being sorrowful,” Chidester said, as per The Detroit News.
“And I ask you to at least look into your heart and at some point, if you can possibly forgive me, I would appreciate that so much.”
The siblings’ mother, Mariah Dodds, however, also spoke in court, saying that “the grief has been unbearable.”
“She took everything in my life and destroyed it,” Dodds added.
Marshella Chidester was sentenced to 25 to 50 years in prison. She will be 92 in 2050 when she will be eligible for parole.
‘Horrific Incident’
According to the New York Post, the incident occurred on April 20, 2024. Alanah Phillips, 8, and Zayn Phillips, 4, were present at a birthday party at Swan Creek Boat Club in Newport. All of a sudden, Chidester violently sped her SUV through the venue’s parking lot. She then smashed through the back of the club’s building.
Chidester killed both Alanah and Zayn on the spot, also injuring 13 other children and adults. All of them were transported and airlifted to local hospitals, with some of the victims having suffered life-threatening injuries.
“The scene was described by the first responders as extremely chaotic,” Monroe County Sheriff Troy Goodnough said at the time. He added that the scene had “a high level of emotions of those directly involved and those who witnessed this horrific incident.”
It was revealed that Chidester’s blood alcohol level was more than twice the legal limit at the time of the incident. She was charged with two counts of second-degree murder, two counts of operating a vehicle while intoxicated causing death, and four counts of operating a vehicle while intoxicated causing serious injuries, as per the Post.
During her trial in March, her legal team argued that a leg injury caused her to step on the gas. Moreover, it was also argued that she had only had a glass of wine at the time. She was found guilty on all charges after a four-day trial.