Attorneys for alleged drunk driver who struck newlyweds warn public ‘to not rush to judgment’
Attorneys representing the accused drunk driver who struck and killed newlywed bride Samantha Hutchinson on the day of her South Carolina nuptials are asking the general public “to not rush to judgment.”
Jamie Lee Komoroski, 25, final week retained two high-powered attorneys, Nathan S. Williams and Christopher S. Gramccioni, to defend her in her legal case.
Williams is a former federal prosecutor greatest identified for making an attempt mass shooter Dylann Roof and convincing a jury to present him the demise penalty.
Gramccioni spent practically a decade serving as a prosecutor in Monmouth County, New Jersey, earlier than getting into non-public observe in 2021.
“We can not fathom what the households are going by and provide our deepest sympathies,” the attorneys mentioned in a written assertion to the Post & Courier. “We merely ask that there not be a rush to judgment. Our courtroom system is based upon ideas of justice and mercy and that’s the place all info will come to gentle.”
Komoroski, previously a waitress at a taco eatery, is accused of drunkenly rear-ending a golf cart that Samantha Hutchinson and her new husband, Aric Hutchinson, were riding in after their wedding reception at Folley Beach, South Carolina, on April 28.
Officers mentioned Komoroski was going 40 mph over the 25 mph velocity restrict in her rented Toyota Camry alongside a poorly lit residential avenue when she slammed into the newlyweds’ slow-moving car, which was thrown 100 yards on impression and rolled over a number of instances.
Samantha, 34, was declared useless on the debris-littered scene, nonetheless carrying her white marriage ceremony gown.
Her 36-year-old husband was transported to a hospital affected by a mind harm and a number of damaged bones. He underwent two surgical procedures and was launched residence on Might 4.
Komoroski, who was not injured within the collision, was arrested and charged with three counts of DUI involving demise or severe bodily harm and reckless murder.
In accordance with arrest affidavits, Komoroski mentioned she had a beer and a shot of tequila earlier than getting behind the wheel that night time. On an impairment scale of 1 to 10, she ranked herself an 8.
The 25-year-old suspect smelled of alcohol however “strongly refused” a subject sobriety take a look at on the scene, police mentioned. She stays jailed in North Charleston, having been denied bond.
A decide has signed a warrant for 2 vials of blood to be drawn from Komoroski. Police are nonetheless ready for exams outcomes that may present her blood alcohol stage the night time of the crash.
Andrew Gilreath, director of the Folly Seashore Public Security Division, mentioned that his detectives are busy interviewing residents and bar homeowners, reviewing bank card receipts and recovering knowledge from Komoroski’s cellphone to create a timeline of her actions main as much as the collision.
Komoroski grew up in New Jersey however not too long ago relocated to South Carolina. In 2020, she graduated from Coastal Carolina College with a level in advertising.
She shared a house on James Island with two roommates and labored as a server on the Mexican restaurant Taco Boy, the place a supervisor described the now-former worker as having a “good persona for the job.”
Members of the family of the tragic newlyweds mentioned Samantha and Aric met three years in the past on a piece journey to Idaho. They lived in an residence on James Island since 2021 however deliberate to purchase a house within the Charleston space the place they might elevate a household.
“They deserved one another,” mentioned Samantha’s mother, Lisa Miller, who’s now planning her daughter’s funeral whereas supporting her widowed son-in-law.