HANCOCK COUNTY — The woman who was charged with drunken driving in the Fourth of July crash in which a Wilkinson woman died has signed a plea agreement with the Hancock County prosecutor’s office.
Leanna Marie Murphy, 24, Richmond, has pleaded guilty to three of the 14 charges she was originally facing. All are felonies, and Murphy faces a sentence not to exceed 18 years in prison, according to the agreement. She’ll find out her fate during a sentencing hearing scheduled for Dec. 18 before Judge Terry Snow in Hancock County Superior Court 1.
The 11 remaining charges will be dismissed.
Rachel Thomas, 44, of Wilkinson, was killed in the crash, which occurred on State Road 234 around 12:45 a.m. July 4 near Troy Road, east of State Road 9, Murphy’s vehicle crossed the center line and struck a car in which Thomas was a passenger. Three other people in the car with Thomas and one passenger in Murphy’s car also were injured. Some of the injuries were severe.
After Murphy was treated for her injuries, police tested her for alcohol and drugs and found Murphy’s blood-alcohol content was higher than the legal limit of 0.08. Murphy was arrested and taken to the Hancock County Jail.
Murphy and prosecutors signed the plea agreement Thursday, Nov. 13, in Snow’s court.
Deputy prosecutor Kevin Kelly said it’s a horrific case with a tragic ending. He has yet to determine what sentence he’ll recommend to the judge for Murphy, but because there was loss of life and catastrophic injuries to two others who were in the car with Thomas, he feels she should go to prison.
“It’s just a horrible situation where nobody is a winner, but the thing is, she’s the one who made the decision to drive that caused this whole horrible situation,” Kelly said.
Kelly has spoken with the Thomas family; they told him they know nothing will bring Thomas back or make those injured whole again.
Murphy agreed to plead guilty to a Level 4 felony count of causing death while operating a vehicle while intoxicated; and two Level 4 felony charges of causing catastrophic injury while operating a vehicle while intoxicated.
A Level 4 felony charge can carry a sentence of anywhere from 2 years to 12 years, with six years being the advisory sentence, the plea agreement said. Snow could order the sentences to be served at the same time — which would mean fewer years in prison — or consecutively.
