What to Know
- A pair of newlyweds leaving their reception in a golf cart were hit by an alleged intoxicated driver from behind on April 28; the bride died, still in her wedding dress, and her husband was badly hurt
- The driver charged, Jamie Lee Komoroski, went to high school in New Jersey and was living in Charleston at the time of the crash; she had recently been hired by a local restaurant, reports say
- Komoroski's attorneys, who include former Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher Gramiccioni, issued a statement last week offering condolences and asked there be no rush to judgment
The woman who sped into the back of a golf cart carrying a couple leaving their wedding reception, killing the bride in her wedding dress late last month, allegedly had a blood alcohol content more than three times the legal limit, according to a redacted toxicology report.
Jamie Lee Komoroski had a BAC of 0.261 when she allegedly slammed her rental car into the back of a golf cart escorting 34-year-old Samantha Miller, of North Carolina, and her new husband, Aric Hutchinson, around 10 p.m. on April 28, according to the report.
It says she told a responding officer she thought she had been hit by something as she was heading toward her house, which was in the opposite direction.
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Eventually, Komoroski told the officer she had "two drinks, one beer and a drink" -- and clarified upon questioning that the drink was "like a tequila pineapple an hour ago or so."
Data retrieved from the car indicated Komoroski was driving 65 mph and only briefly hit the brakes before she hit the golf cart on Folly Beach, an island near Charleston, investigators have said. Her car was destroyed, an image released along with the redacted toxicology report shows. The speed limit is 25 mph.
Miller was pronounced dead in her wedding dress. Hutchinson suffered a brain injury and multiple broken bones, and while he is expected to survive, the recovery will be long, according to his mother. She established a GoFundMe page to support her son as well as her son-in-law and grandson, who were the couple's golf cart escorts from the reception.
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Christopher Gramiccioni, who stepped down as Monmouth County prosecutor in June 2021 after years in the position, released the first public statement on Komoroski's behalf last week.
"We cannot fathom what the families are going through and offer our deepest sympathies. We simply ask that there not be a rush to judgment," he said. "Our court system is founded upon principles of justice and mercy and that is where all facts will come to light."
Komoroski, who wasn't hurt in the crash, is charged with reckless vehicular homicide and three counts of driving under the influence causing death. She faces one to 25 years in prison on each DUI count.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
