Jamie Lee Komoroski: Drunk driver who killed Samantha Miller on her wedding day in Folly Beach crash indicted
FOLLY BEACH, SOUTH CAROLINA: A woman who killed newly married woman named Samantha Miller, 34, in an April 28 crash in Folly Beach has finally been indicted.
Court documents filed on Wednesday, September 20, show the grand jury returned indictments for felony DUI resulting in death, two counts of felony DUI with great bodily injury and reckless homicide against Jamie Lee Komoroski, 25 WSCS reports.
How did Jamie Lee Komoroski kill Samantha Miller?
Komoroski was extremely drunk when she slammed her Toyota Camry into a golf cart while Samantha Miller was being escorted out of the wedding venue by her husband Aric Hutchinson.
The golf cart rolled over multiple times before it rammed Samantha Miller, killing her and injuring two more people.
Police said Komoroski was extremely drunk at the time of the crash and was driving at 65mph on the day of the accident.
The blood toxicology report of the Coastal Carolina University graduate at the time suggested she had an alcohol level of 0.261 on the night of the crash. This level is three times more than the legal limit in South Carolina.
Why was Jamie Lee Komoroski denied bond?
Komoroski’s defence lawyers had sought her release on a $100,000 bond, which was denied.
It was with the condition that she would enter a rehab. They argued she was neither a danger to the community nor a flight risk.
The lawyers also brought up lack of previous criminal history, besides strong family support.
On August 1, teary Komoroski appeared in court for the hearing where Judge Michael Nettles ordered her to remain behind bars.
However, the trial must get underway by its scheduled March 2024 date.
The New York Post reported Komoroski could be released on a $150,000 surety bond. She would be subject to electronic monitoring and placed on house arrest.
Samantha Miller's husband Aric Hutchinson's lawsuit against Jamie Lee Komoroski
Miller's devastated husband Aric Hutchinson, 36, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Komoroski in May.
In the lawsuit, he claimed she had a “booze-filled day of bar hopping”.
In the lawsuit, it was alleged that the four establishments Komoroski visited in the hours before the deadly crash served her “copious amounts of alcohol” despite her being “visibly intoxicated.”
It said the establishments she visited that day had an obligation to “exercise due care” in serving alcoholic beverages.
Komoroski’s former employer, the Taco Boy, and her boss were also named in the complaint for “inviting, encouraging, pressuring, and ultimately coercing her to drink alcohol beyond the point of visible intoxication.”
