A drunk driver who killed a bride just hours after she got married has pleaded guilty to four charges relating to the incident.
Jamie Komoroski, from South Carolina was three-times over the legal limit when she drove a Toyota Camry and crashed into the back of a golf cart that was carrying a bride and groom.
The 26 year old pleaded guilty on Monday to multiple charges stemming from a tragic DUI incident. The charges included a felony DUI causing death, two counts of felony DUI causing great bodily injury, and reckless homicide.
Following her plea, she was sentenced to 25 years in prison. . The case garnered significant attention due to the devastating consequences of the incident and the severity of the charges.
Newlyweds Samantha Miller, 34, and her husband Aric Hutchinson, 36, were leaving their wedding reception on April 28, 2023, when they were rear-ended and the golf cart was thrown over 100 yards.
The cart flipped over several times, killing the bride, Samantha, and seriously injuring the groom.
Just minutes before tragedy struck, the couple were pictured looking totally in love during their reception exit, as their guests waved them off with sparklers.
The groom, Aric, was left with serious injuries from the crash including a brain injury and numerous broken bones and he had two reconstruction surgeries.
The newlyweds were being driven in the golf cart by two relatives of the groom, Ben Garret and Brogan Garrett, who were also injured in the crash.
A GoFundMe was set up by the groom's mother, Annette Hutchinson, to help pay for Samantha's burial costs as well as medical costs for the groom and Aric others injured in the crash. It has already raised €690,000.
She wrote: 'I was handed Aric’s wedding ring in a plastic bag at the hospital, five hours after Sam placed it on his finger and they read each other their vows. Aric has lost the love of his life.'
During Monday’s court proceedings, Circuit Judge Michael Nettles said it was 'a very tragic situation for all concerned.'
The mother of Samantha Miller, the bride killed in the DUI crash, delivered a heart-wrenching statement shortly after Jamie Lee Komoroski pleaded guilty to charges including DUI causing death and reckless homicide.
Visibly and audibly emotional, Miller’s mother addressed the court saying 'She doesn’t get to come back to life in ten years, twenty-five years,' she said. 'This is a lifetime.'
The court later sentenced Komoroski to 25 years in prison for her role in the tragic incident.
