Mom Charged with DUI Manslaughter that Killed Daughter

In Orlando, Florida, one mother got behind the wheel while intoxicated last week, only to end up with devastating and life-altering results. The mom had her four children in the car when she went speeding down the highway with impaired senses. At some point during the drive, she swerved her vehicle and it crashed off of the road. The car flipped over, and the violent turbulence fatally injured a 14-year-old daughter in the back seat. The other children, ages 10, 11, and 16, were rushed to the hospital after the accident but suffered only minor injuries. The mother, who has the initials M.J., was issued a breath test and police found that she had a BAC of 0.24. This is three times the legal limit for driving. When at the hospital, the mother was tested again and her second result registered at 0.30.

A judge at a hearing concerning whether or not this mother could keep custody of her children declared that this was one of the highest BAC’s that he had ever seen in a case. M.J. also suffered serious injuries from the accident, and spent the next several days in a hospital. When asked what she had been drinking, M.J. said that she had had some Crown Royal and coke. When asked if coke meant Coca-Cola, the woman shook her head and said “not, Crown Royal and cocaine.” In her interviews, M.J. was erratic. She kept shouting “I killed my baby” and told the police that they could lock her up. Her attorney argued that M.J. was suffering from battered spouse syndrome at the time of the accident. She will serve 10 years in prison as part of a plea argument, where she admitted that she was guilty of one felony count of aggravated manslaughter of a child. She will serve four years on probation after the end of her prison sentence and will never be allowed to drive again.