Woman sentenced 10-30 years in prison (MI)

[TowNews]

Woman sentenced 10-30 years in prison for I-94 crash that killed tow truck driver, passenger

ANN ARBOR, MI – A woman charged with 19 felonies associated with a drunken driving crash that killed her passenger and a tow truck driver on I-94 more than two years ago has been sentenced.

Washtenaw County Trial Judge Carol Kuhnke sentenced Andre-A Edwards to serve 10 to 30 years in prison, May 19, after pleading no contest to all 19 felony counts included second-degree murder, court records show.

Edwards, 27, of Ann Arbor, pleaded no contest to all counts March 24 but her sentencing was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused many state operations to temporarily shut down.

 

Topic Reference: https://www.towforce.net/topic/2225-re-michigan-tow-operator-killed-today-5-29-2018/

The case stems from a crash that occurred on May 29, 2018, where Edwards was behind the wheel of black Ford Explorer that crashed into the back of a school bus being serviced on the side of eastbound I-94 near U.S. 23.

 

The bus was unoccupied, but the tow truck driver attending to the bus, Nader Chehadi, 42, of Ypsilanti, was at the rear of the bus when the crash occurred and was pronounced dead at the scene. One of Edwards’ passengers, Antoinette Butler, 28, of Ypsilanti, also died days later.

 

Edwards and her three minor children, ages 2, 4, and 5, were also seriously injured in the crash. Evidence showed none of the children were wearing seat belts or child restraints.

 

Edwards was later arrested and charged with two counts of second-degree murder, four counts of operating while intoxicated causing death and two counts of operating a vehicle while license suspended causing death, three counts of second-degree child abuse, three counts of operating while intoxicated causing serious injury, two counts operating while intoxicated third offense and three counts of operating a vehicle with a suspended license causing serious injury.

 

After being found competent to stand trial, Edwards was bound over for trial following an emotional preliminary examination in May 2019, before Washtenaw County District Court Judge Elizabeth Pollard Hines.

 

“She did not intend to kill anyone, but she did act in blatant disregard for the safety of others which makes a charge of second-degree murder appropriate,” Hines said during the examination. “She was driving more than 77 miles per hour on the freeway when she knew she wasn’t allowed to be driving in the first place, with alcohol and drugs in her system and her three young children in the back of the SUV unrestrained.”

 

Butler died of a closed head injury and Chehadi died of crushing injuries and the severing of his spin, according to autopsy reports discussed during the preliminary examination

 

Michigan State Police Sgt. Allen Avery, a crash reconstructionist, determined Edwards was driving about 80 miles per hour leading up to the crash and was going 66 when she hit the bus.

 

According to data pulled from the SUV’s event data recorder, at no point during the crash were the brakes used, Avery testified.

 

A blood draw, taken about five hours after the crash, found Edwards had a blood alcohol content of .035 as well as 2 nanograms of THC in her system, police said.

 

Due to COVID-19 concerns, Edwards is still lodged in the Washtenaw County Jail and has not yet been transferred to the Michigan Department of Corrections.

RESOURCE LINK

[Greg Cravens]

Wow, it's refreshing to read that a negligent driver is being held accountable for their actions. We need more enforcement of the "Move Over" laws that are in effect, and we need to see those laws passed in States that do not currently have them on the books. Just my two cents.

[fenderbendr6]

Seems like a light sentence for that long list of charges, but, at least it's something.

[rreschran]

In these instances where there are multitude counts stacked against a subject, court is more like, "Let''s Make a Deal". Plea bargaining takes it's best shot at closing cases and not always the fullest extent of the law.    R.

[GRUMPS The Towman]

Dont get me wrong, A murder conviction is good, It shows that you can get charged and found guilty of it in this type of situation But, I still think she got off easy.. Not for nothing she is a double murderer, A child abuser, a drug and alcohol abuser And obviously has ZERO regard for any type of vehicle and traffic laws..

Should have gotten the Death penalty....  

[rreschran]

To get the death penalty, the prosecution had to prove specific intent and that's really hard to do. As noted in the article and based on the lowering of years of the total conviction, they couldn't prove that Edward's intended to kill Nader Chehadi. YOu think by actions alone there was an intent to drive? I guess a stiff conviction is better than no conviction far opposite to the charges dropped against the woman who struck and killed Massachusetts' tow operator Dan Coady two years ago.     R.