A 26-year-old woman pleaded guilty to charges stemming from a fatal April 2023 drunk-driving crash in South Carolina, USA, that killed a bride on her wedding day and injured the groom. Driving three times over the legal alcohol limit at 65 mph (105 km/h) in a 25-mph zone (40 km/h), Jamie Lee Komoroski struck a golf cart carrying the couple, killing bride Samantha Miller instantly.
Highlights
- Komoroski sentenced to 25 years for killing bride in drunk driving crash.
- Bride Samantha Miller died on wedding day; groom seriously injured.
- Komoroski's blood alcohol level was three times the legal limit.
Komoroski, from South Carolina, pleaded guilty to driving drunk and slamming into a golf cart, killing Miller on her wedding night, and seriously injuring her husband, Aric Hutchinson.
A judge in Charleston County, South Carolina, subsequently sentenced Komoroski to decades in prison, Court TV reported on Monday (December 2).
Komoroski reportedly pleaded guilty to all charges, including reckless vehicular homicide charges and multiple counts of felony DUI with bodily injury and death.
A 26-year-old woman pleaded guilty to charges stemming from a fatal April 2023 drunk-driving crash in South Carolina, USA
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A DUI stands for "driving under the influence". It's a criminal offense that occurs when someone operates a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
Immediately following her plea, prosecutors summarized the facts in her case, victim impact statements were heard, and a South Carolina judge handed down a 50-year sentence to run concurrently with roughly 580 days credit for time served, as per Court TV.
This means that Komoroski's 50-year sentence will include the time she has already spent in custody—approximately 580 days—toward the total length of her sentence.
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Judge Deadre Jefferson sentenced Komoroski to 25 years for reckless homicide, 15 years for the two counts of DUI involving great bodily injury, and 10 years for the felony DUI charge, ABC News 4 reported on Tuesday (December 3).
The sentences are concurrent, meaning Komoroski will spend 25 years in prison, Jefferson said.
In addition to driving 65 mph in a 25 mph, investigators reportedly said Komoroski had a blood alcohol level more than three times the legal limit when she plowed into the newlyweds moments after their wedding reception on April 28, 2023, in Folly Beach, South Carolina.
The crash killed a bride on her wedding day and injured the groom
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In South Carolina, the legal blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limit for driving is 0.08% for drivers aged 21 and older, The Bateman Law Firm explains.
Driving with a BAC above this limit is considered DUI, which carries severe penalties including fines, license suspension, and possible jail time.
For drivers under 21, the limit is 0.02%, reflecting the state's zero-tolerance policy for underage drinking and driving.
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During victim impact statements, one by one, many of Miller’s family and friends addressed the court, according to Court TV.
Miller’s mother, Lisa Miller, reportedly described hearing sirens and yelling, “Something happened to Sam.”
Other survivors of the crash, including Benjamin and Brogan Garrett, spoke about the pain and suffering they experienced that night, the chaos at the ER following the crash, and the neverending mental and emotional trauma they still suffer, Court TV reported.
Driving three times over the legal alcohol limit at 65 mph in a 25-mph zone, Jamie Lee Komoroski struck a golf cart carrying the couple
Image credits: WCBD NEWS 2
Grieving groom and now widow Hutchinson was the last victim to share an impact statement. He tearfully said: “I have been thinking about what to say since that night, what do you say when your world has been shattered?
“Physically I’m in pain every day ... it’s a struggle to get through every day. My world will be forever changed from what happened that night, I think about that night every single day and the last moment I had with Sam on the golf cart.
“On the golf cart, she told me she didn’t want the night to end and I kissed her on the forehead and then the next thing I remember is waking up in the hospital.”
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He continued: “I see my mum’s face, she’s still wearing the wedding dress from the night before, and I knew instantly. That’s why I asked, ‘Where’s Sam?’ I knew she wasn’t there.”
Hutchinson spoke through tears as he admitted he wished he died that night so his new wife did not have to leave this world alone, 7 News reported on Tuesday.
“I wish I saw you coming,” the survivor further revealed. “I’d have jumped off the golf cart so that you’d only have run me over. We did not get hit, we got ran through at 65mph (104km/h).”
Groom Aric Hutchinson was left seriously injured
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He added: “There is no way any three of us should be alive, all four of us should have died that night.
“I’m a firm believer that Sam saved us, that’s who she is, and she would’ve taken one for all of us and said, ‘Take me and save these guys.’
“The guilt with that that I live with every single second of every day is unbearable. You took the greatest human being I have ever met, she’s not coming back, she’s gone.
“She was my world and I’d give anything for one second to hold her again.”
Image credits: WCNC
Komoroski went on to apologize to the family and said she would always be embarrassed by her actions, The Daily Mail reported on Monday.
The offender said in court: “I want them to know how sorry I am for the bottom of my heart and that I take full responsibility for my actions.
“I will always be devastated, deeply ashamed, and terribly sorry for what I have done.”
Komoroski had been released on bond in March, seven months after Judge Michael Nettles initially denied bond and informed the parties that Komoroski would be released if the case wasn’t heard by March 2024, Court TV reported.
Bride Samantha Miller died instantly
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Following the sentencing on Monday, Komoroski was reportedly taken into custody by the South Carolina Department of Corrections.
In April last year, Hutchinson and Miller were departing their wedding reception in South Carolina, when a Komoroski driving a Toyota Camry collided with their small golf cart.
The fatal accident left Hutchinson in urgent need of medical treatment after enduring many broken bones and even injuries to his brain.
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As Hutchinson had assumed control of Miller’s estate, a legal dispute spiraled out of control, as Hutchinson and Miller’s mum, Lisa Miller, went to court over the 34-year-old’s estate.
L. Miller filed to remove Hutchinson as Miller's estate representative, citing allegations of fraud and conflict of interest.
She also sought to block Hutchinson’s wrongful death lawsuit against bars that served Komoroski.
Nevertheless, a judge approved a partial settlement in June in the wrongful death lawsuit awarding $1 million from several businesses, Court TV reported at the time.
Other survivors of the crash spoke about the pain and suffering they experienced that night
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The ill-fated couple wed in Folly Beach on April 28, and a Charleston County probate judge recognized the validity of their marriage on May 1 — while Hutchinson was still in a hospital recovering from injuries he sustained in the drunk driving collision.
L. Miller’s attorneys have been contesting a document filed by Hutchinson’s aunt claiming to have known the couple for 36 years, despite Miller being only 34 at the time of her death.
The form also stated the couple had been living together post-wedding, which was impossible as Miller had died and Hutchinson was hospitalized.
Hutchinson’s legal team acknowledged the inaccuracies but dismissed them as irrelevant distractions from the validity of the marriage.
"Glad to hear justice prevailed," a reader commented
