US EditionDrunken driver sentenced to 25 years for birthday party crash that killed 2 kids
- On April 20, 2024, 67-year-old Marshella Chidester drove her vehicle into the building of the Swan Boat Club located in Berlin Township during a birthday celebration for children.
- The crash happened because Chidester was under the influence, with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.18, which is over double Michigan’s legal driving limit of 0.08.
- Chidester drove at 44 mph with full acceleration and failed to brake, causing a wall breach and injuring over a dozen people, including two children who died.
- In March 2025, Chidester was found guilty on nine felony counts, among them two second-degree murder convictions for the deaths of siblings Alanah, 8, and Zayn Phillips, 4.
- On May 15, 2025, Judge Daniel White sentenced Chidester to 25 to 50 years in prison, calling the case "the most tragic and heartbreaking" he has seen.
29 Articles
29 Articles
'Asked the Lord to forgive me': Woman who killed 2 kids after driving drunk into birthday party sentenced
**Related Video Above: Local law enforcement cracking down on drunk driving on St. Patrick's Day MONROE, Mich. (AP) — A drunken driver who crashed her SUV into a birthday party at a Michigan boat club, killing two children, was sentenced Thursday to at least 25 years in prison for second-degree murder. Marshella Chidester sat just a few feet away as the parents of 8-year-old Alanah Phillips and her 4-year-old brother Zayn Phillips described the …
Albuquerque woman sentenced to prison for deadly DWI crash in 2024
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – A 25-year-old Albuquerque woman was sentenced to prison for a deadly DWI crash in January 2024. Jade Lucero and her fiancée, Colter Anderson, were driving on Paseo Del Norte when they were hit head-on by Adamaris Martinez. Investigators learned Martinez was drunk, driving the wrong way, when she plowed into the couple. Woman charged in child abuse case in Albuquerque ruled not competent for trial As a result of t…
Woman Who Crashed Into Party, Killed 2 Kids, Learns Her Fate
A drunken driver who crashed her SUV into a birthday party at a Michigan boat club, killing two children, was sentenced Thursday to at least 25 years in prison for second-degree murder, the AP reports. Marshella Chidester sat just a few feet away as the parents of 8-year-old Alanah Phillips...
'Babies, we did it': Father of Swan Boat Club crash victims finding closure 1 year later
After Marshella Chidester was sentenced Thursday for her involvement in the Swan Boat Club tragedy last year, the father of the two children who were killed, Brian Phillips, invited us for an intimate conversation about closure at their gravesite. Watch the report in the video player below: 'Babies, we did it': Father of Swan Boat Club crash victims finding closure 1 year laterMonroe County Circuit Court Judge Daniel White sentenced 67-year-old …
Woman convicted in fatal birthday party crash at Swan Boat Club sentenced to 25-50 years
By Paula Wethington Click here for updates on this story Michigan (WWJ) — A woman convicted in the deadly Swan Boat Club birthday party crash in Monroe County, Michigan, was sentenced to 25-50 years in prison on Thursday. Marshella Chidester was found guilty in March of all charges, including second-degree murder, in connection with the deaths of 8-year-old Alanah Phillips and 4-year-old Zayn Phillips. Both of those children attended Flat Ro…
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