Jamie Lee Komoroski pleads guilty to DUI causing crash and death of newly married bride and injury to her groom as victim’s family demand maximum sentence of 25 years now be imposed.
A South Carolina woman accused of he woman killing a Folly Beach bride and injuring her newly married groom last year, pleaded guilty to several charges during her court appearance on Monday afternoon.
Jamie Lee Komoroski, 26, who had previously pled not guilty to all the charges against her, shocked observes on Monday when she entered a courtroom at the Charleson County Judicial Center in downtown Charleston for what was supposed to be the beginning of her December 2 trial only to admit fault where she had previously denied any culpability.
Komoroski plead guilty to all charges which included felony DUI resulting in great bodily injury or death and reckless homicide in connection to the collision that killed new bride Samantha Miller, who had married Aric Hutchinson the same evening, and severely injured Hutchinson and another occupant of the low-speed vehicle they were operating.
Komoroski did not strike a plea deal, meaning a judge does not have to show her leniency for sparing Miller’s family a trial. Komoroski could expect to be jailed up to 25 years.
During Monday’s hearing, Miller’s stricken sister Mandi Jenkins branded Komoroski’s behavior ‘selfish senseless and preventable’ on the night of the killer smash.
Miller’s brother, Nathan Miller, called for Komoroski to receive the maximum sentence, saying ‘It wasn’t an accident to go over 65mph on Folly Beach’s tiny, dark roads.’
Brad Warner, Samantha Miller’s father, addressing Komoroski lambasted (see below) the DUI driver, saying ‘she had ruined so many people’s lives.’
Police say Komoroski was driving 65 m.p.h. in a 25 m.p.h. zone and her blood alcohol level was three times over the legal limit.
Leading up to the tragedy, Komoroski had a number of driving violations dating back to 2018 to 2022, where she was cited for speeding on at least three different occasions and failure to use a turn signal or stop signal.
Brad Warner, Samantha Miller’s father, spoke after Jamie Lee Komoroski, the woman charged in the drunken crash that killed Miller, a Folly Beach bride, and injured the groom last year, pleaded guilty. pic.twitter.com/GL9xqcLquR
— ABC News 4 (@ABCNews4) December 2, 2024
She was in custody from April 29, 2023 to March 1, 2024 when Judge Michael Nettles then granted her bond after they were unable to begin her trial.
Komoroski was initially denied bond in August of 2023 as she was deemed a flight risk. However, since officials were unable to start her trial by March 2024, she was granted $150,000 bond.
Miller’s husband, Aric Hutchinson, filed a wrongful death lawsuit in the wake of the crash, and a settlement was reached earlier this year. The settlement came from Enterprise Rental Cars, from which Komoroski rented a car on the night of the incident, and several bars in Folly Beach, South Carolina, that served Komoroski before the crash, according to WCSC. The family was awarded $1.3 million.
