Jamie Lee Komoroski, the South Carolina woman who admitted she was drinking and driving at more than double the speed limit when she crashed a golf cart and killed a bride last year, will now spend up to 25 years in prison.
Komoroski, 27, pleaded guilty in Charleston County Circuit Court to reckless homicide, felony DUI causing death and two counts of felony DUI causing great bodily injury before her sentencing.
Bride Samantha Miller, 34, died in the shipwreck in April 2023 while her groom, Eric Hutchinson, was seriously injured.
A photo posted on a GoFundMe page shows Aric Hutchinson and Samantha Miller, newlyweds who were involved in a car accident a few hours after their wedding in South Carolina.
GoFundMe
Hutchinson cried in court Monday as he recalled the last moments he spent with his new bride — some of their only moments as husband and wife.
“In the golf cart, she told me she didn’t want the night to end and kissed her on the forehead, and then the next thing I remember is waking up in the hospital,” Hutchinson said.
Aric Hutchinson speaks for Samantha Miller before 9th Circuit Court Judge Deidra Jefferson during Jamie Lee Komoroski’s sentencing hearing, Monday, Dec. 2, 2024, in Charleston, South Carolina.
Henry Taylor/The Post And Courier via AP
Judge Deidra Jefferson sentenced Komoroski to a maximum of 25 years in prison for felony drunken driving causing death. She was also sentenced to 15 years in prison for each count of drunk driving causing great bodily injury and 10 years for reckless homicide. All sentences will run simultaneously.
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On the night of Miller and Hutchinson’s wedding in Folly Beach, an island near Charleston, South Carolina, the newlyweds had just left the party and were driving along Beach Road, where the speed limit is 25 mph (40 km/h). At approximately 10 p.m., a rental car hit the golf cart from behind.
Komoroski was arrested and detained at the scene.
This photo provided by the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office, in South Carolina, shows Jamie Lee Komoroski, on April 29, 2023.
Charleston County Sheriff’s Office via AP
A later investigation found that data on Komoroski’s rental car indicated she was driving at 65 mph (105 km/h) and only applied the brakes briefly before crashing into the golf cart, investigators said.
The groom’s mother, Annette Hutchinson, later revealed that “the golf cart was thrown over 100 yards and rolled several times.”
Komoroski was not injured in the crash, and officers said in an affidavit last year that they could smell alcohol on her breath.
“I asked Jamie if she had anything to drink, and she stated that she had one beer and a drink with tequila about an hour ago,” the affidavit said. “Then I asked her on a scale of a person being completely sober and a 10 being the most impaired, and she said it was an 8.”
Komoroski allegedly refused to complete a field sobriety test when asked by officers and became uncooperative. At some point when she tried to stand, she became unsteady in her feet and nearly fell, the affidavit said. An officer had to help her stand.
The 34-year-old bride died while still wearing her wedding dress. The groom suffered a brain injury and several broken bones.
A screenshot from the GoFundMe page set up for Samantha Miller and Eric Hutchinson after their golf cart was hit by a drunk driver hours after their wedding.
GoFundMe
After pleading guilty on Monday, Komoroski said she was an alcoholic and did not selfishly care about how her actions affected others, adding that she was “devastated, deeply ashamed and sorry” for the harm she caused.
“I wish I could go back and undo this terrible tragedy. But I can’t. I will live the rest of my life with deep remorse for what happened that night,” she said.
Komoroski’s supporters asked the judge to be lenient because she is young, remorseful and still capable of doing good.
Miller’s family, on the other hand, demanded a harsh sentence, saying they could never get her back and that the decisions Komoroski made that night were selfish and permanently damaged the lives of many people. Komoroski looked at most of the Miller family, including Hutchinson, as they spoke, occasionally wiping away tears.
Tears roll down Jamie Lee Komoroski’s cheeks as Samantha Miller’s family members talk about Miller during Komoroski’s hearing in Charleston District Court, Monday, Dec. 2, 2024, in Charleston, South Carolina.
Henry Taylor/The Post And Courier via AP
Hutchinson said he sees more doctors and therapists than he can count because of his physical injuries and mental anguish from the accident, and he thinks about it every day.
“I wish I had died that night. I wish I had seen it coming. I would have jumped out of a golf cart so she would run me over,” Hutchinson said.
Before sentencing, Miller’s father told Komoroski he was disgusted because she seemed to never take responsibility. He told her she could apologize, but he didn’t listen to a word.
“I’m going to hate you for the rest of my life, and when I get to hell and you come there, I’m going to open the door for you,” Brad Warner said. “It has ruined a lot of people’s lives.”
— With files from Global News and The Associated Press
&Copy 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
