A dad whose daughter died in a horror crash on her wedding day has issued a damning message to the drink driver who took her life.
Jamie Lee Komoroski, 26, was well over twice the speed limit when she smashed into a golf cart, killing bride Samantha Miller, 34, who had just got married at a beach in South Carolina. Komoroski later pleaded guilty to reckless homicide, felony DUI causing death and two counts of felony DUI causing great bodily injury. She was sentenced to 25 years in prison on Monday.
Addressing the woman who killed his daughter at Charleston County courthouse, dad Brad Warner said: “When I arrive in hell, and you come there, I’ll open the door for you.”
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The groom, Aric Hutchinson, cried in court as he recalled the last moments he spent with Samantha Miller. A ride on the golf cart out of the wedding venue turned out to be one of the final few seconds they spent as husband and wife. He said: “On the golf cart, she told me she didn’t want the night to end and I kissed her on the forehead and then the next thing I remember is waking up in the hospital.”
Police said Komoroski had been drinking at several bars on the night of the incident on April 28, 2023, and was driving 65 mph on a narrow beach road with a speed limit of 25 mph when she slammed into the cart leaving the wedding. Her blood-alcohol level was 0.26%, which is more than three times the legal limit to drive in South Carolina.
The bride was still wearing her wedding dress when she died, while the groom suffered a brain injury and broken bones. The cart was thrown 300 feet by the impact.
Alongside her 25-year sentence, Komoroski, 27, was also sentenced to 15 years in prison for each count of felony DUI causing great bodily injury and 10 years for reckless homicide. The sentences will all run at the same time.
After pleading guilty, Komoroski said she realised she had been addicted to alcohol, and promised to spend the rest of her life helping addicts and warning of the dangers of drinking and driving. She said she was "devastated, deeply ashamed and sorry" for what she did, adding: "I wish I could go back and undo this terrible tragedy. But I cannot. I will live the rest of my life with intense regret for what happened that night."
A number of friends and family of both Samantha Miller and Komoroski spoke at the hearing, which lasted nearly three hours. Groom Mr Hutchinson said he sees more doctors and therapists than he can count because of his physical injuries and the mental anguish of the crash, and that he thinks about it every single day. He said: "I wish I had died that night. I wish I had seen it coming. I’d have jumped off the golf cart so you would only have run me over."
Before the sentencing, Samantha's dad Mr Warner slammed Komoroski not taking responsibility and told her he would not listen to any apology she gave. He added: "The rest of my life I’m going to hate you and when I arrive in hell and you come there, I will open the door for you. You have ruined so many people’s lives."
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