A Michigan woman was sentenced Wednesday to 30 to 60 years in prison for a drunken-driving crash that killed two people and injured 14 members of the same family — including eight children.
Ashley Marie Monroe, 36, was pregnant with her fifth child when she plowed into a family gathering at a park in Wacousta Township, about 10 miles northwest of Lansing, on May 18, 2024, prosecutors said.
Monroe had a blood alcohol level of 0.195 — more than twice the legal limit in Michigan — and was also on prescription medication at the time of the incident, according to investigators.
She reportedly fled the scene but was stopped by Clinton County sheriff’s deputies, who said she smelled of alcohol and had bloodshot eyes. They also found an empty pint bottle of whiskey and two pill bottles in her purse, according to court testimony cited by the Lansing State Journal.
Earlier this year, she pleaded “no contest” to multiple charges, including second-degree murder, according to local NBC affiliate WILX. The additional charges, including those for fleeing the scene, were dismissed.
On Wednesday, Circuit Court Judge Cori Barkman sentenced her to 30 to 60 years in prison for the murder charge.
She was also sentenced to two to five years for each of the eight counts of driving while intoxicated causing serious injury, which are to be served concurrently.
Monroe chose not to address the court at the hearing, but her attorney, Edwar Zeineh, wrote in a sentencing memorandum that his client was “remorseful” and “living with the pain of this tragedy.”
“The loss and chaos she knows she caused is not lost on her,” Zeineh wrote. “For what it is worth, Ms. Monroe is extremely sorry for her actions and the loss of life and injury caused.”
