Woman accused of driving drunk, killing South Carolina bride on wedding night in DUI crash, out on bond
By Devon M. Sayers and Emma Tucker, CNN
(CNN) — The woman accused of having a blood alcohol level over three times the legal limit when she allegedly drove her car into a golf-cart style vehicle carrying a newly married couple away from their wedding reception last year, killing the bride, was released on bond Friday.
Jamie Lee Komoroski is charged with one count of reckless homicide and three counts of felony DUI resulting in great bodily harm in the April 28 incident in Folly Beach, South Carolina, according to police. She pleaded not guilty.
Komoroski was released after posting a $150,000 bond Friday afternoon, according to court documents.
“We have consistently asserted that Jamie is not a flight risk or danger to the community, and she now looks forward to demonstrating her continued commitment to rehabilitation upon her pretrial release from detention,” said Chris Gramiccioni, Komoroski’s attorney.
Komoroski was denied bond last year, CNN affiliate WCIV reported. In requesting bond, her lawyers filed a motion offering that Komoroski would enter and complete an inpatient rehabilitation program, then stay under the supervision of her mother at their New Jersey home without access to alcohol or a motor vehicle, WCIV reported.
The bride, Samantha Hutchinson, 34, of Charlotte, North Carolina, died of blunt force injuries, according to the Charleston County Coroner’s Office. Her husband, Aric Hutchinson, and two others were also injured in the crash, which caused the cart to roll several times, Folly Beach Police Chief Andrew Gilreath previously told CNN.
In the report shared with CNN by the Folly Beach Police Department, Komoroski, 25, was found to have had a blood alcohol content of 0.261%. South Carolina law prohibits driving with a blood alcohol content of 0.08% or higher, CNN previously reported.
Her vehicle was traveling 65 mph in a 25-mph zone, according to Gilreath.
Surveillance video obtained and reviewed by CNN, which was recorded a few blocks away from where the accident happened, captured after the couple left their wedding reception. The video shows first responders rushing to the scene approximately 4 minutes after the speeding vehicle is seen.
Komoroski refused a field sobriety test after the incident on April 28 and a warrant was issued for her blood to be taken for testing, according to an affidavit.
The golf cart-style vehicle, decorated with cans and a “just married” sign, “was quite mangled, and it was on its side,” Gilreath previously told CNN. First responders attempted to revive Miller, but she died at the scene, he said.
Low-speed vehicles are allowed to operate on highways where the speed limit is 35 mph or lower, according to the South Carolina Legislature. The newlywed couple’s vehicle was legally on the road that night, Gilreath said.
CNN’s Maxime Tamsett and Sharif Paget contributed to this report.
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