DUI Defendant Found Guilty of Murder

The Anchorage Daily News has reported that Lori Phillips, in her third DUI conviction, was found guilty of second-degree murder and drunk driving for her role in a 2009 crash.

Phillips was held solely responsible for causing a crash last year on Seward Highway that resulted in the death of another driver and the critical injury of his passenger.

Phillips, 56, has a fourth DUI case pending from March of 2009.  Her first DUI, pleaded down to a traffic offense, was in 1983.

The jury deliberated for approximately four hours before handing down its verdict. Superior Court Judge Philip Volland has scheduled sentencing - the second-degree conviction calls for no less than a ten-year prison term - for March 4.

After hearing the verdict, Rex Butler, attorney for Phillips, said that he would appeal the sentence as jurors had disregarded his request to consider a charge of manslaughter or one of criminally negligent homicide.

Phillips stood resolutely stone-faced. 

On November 5, 2009 Philips drove a Ford Explorer on the highway in the wrong direction - and into oncoming traffic - when she plowed head-on into a smaller Toyota sedan.  Louis Clement, the driver of the sedan, was killed and his passenger, Joyua Stovall, was critically injured and suffered with several broken bones.

Phillips' blood alcohol level proved to be four times the legal driving limit.  She was found guilty of assault, driving with a revoked license and reckless driving.

Prosecutors Clinton Campion and Sharon Marshall sited state Supreme Court rulings in similar cases in their request that Phillips' reckless behavior warranted a second-degree charge of murder.

Both the Stovall and Phillips family attended the trial daily.  Victim advocates from the Forget Me Not Foundation also lent their support.

In Iowa, Clement's mother listened via phone as the verdicts were read.  She later said, "It's been a long time and now I get to put my kid to rest."

The couple, Clement and Stovall, had a two-year-old child together and were planning to marry.

Lashall Stovall, Joyua's sister, expressed compassion for Phillip's family, especially her mother, noting that they have lost someone too.

Jamin Stovall, Joyua's brother said, "You can't change everything. She'll never get Louis back, but it will give her some type of feeling of justice out there for Louis, and for his daughter, also."

Butler lamented that the community has many alcohol issues, making the case a difficult one for him.

Butler commented on Phillips' behalf that, "She's had to deal with a lot of tough issues in the past couple of years. People sometimes turn to the bottle to deal with it and it's unfortunate, because of the consequences."

Phillips' daughter, Whitney, was a heroin addict and had died earlier this year while Phillips was serving time in jail. 

If you have been arrested and are facing charges for DUI, DWI, OUI or OWI click here to contact a DUI attorney in our directory to assist you with your defense today!