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A woman convicted of killing a bride on her wedding night while drunk driving has been seen complaining about her arrest in newly released police footage.
In 2023, Jamie Lee Komoroski had been bar hopping before getting into her Toyota Camry rental.
While she was speeding, Komoroski plowed the car into the back of a golf cart transporting newlyweds Samantha Miller, 34, and Aric Hutchinson, now 36, on the way back to their rental property.
Miller was sadly pronounced dead at the scene - on the night of her wedding - and Hutchinson suffered two broken legs, extensive facial fractures, and "traumatic" brain injures.
In new footage of Komoroski's arrest, obtained by WCSC, upon arriving into police custody, Komoroski can be seen complaining to officers that she should be allowed to call her father and that they had no proof that she had been drink driving.
"I just, like, want to get it over with and go home," she says in the clip. "Nobody has any proof that I did anything."
Later in the footage, Komoroski gets visibly upset, and tells the officer present that she is doing so because they're not letting her contact her father.
"[You're] not letting me call my f**king father," she goes on to say. "Even though they haven't proven s**t and don't have any right for me not to contact my family or anyone I want."
Footage of Komoroski, a 25-year-old Logistic Accounts Executive, at the scene of the arrest shows the officer in charge of apprehending her noting that she smelt of alcohol and was unsteady on her feet. When asked to rate her impairment on a scale of one to 10, Komoroski said it was an eight, but refused to perform a field sobriety test.
Following her arrest, Komoroski was held in custody without bond, but was released on a $150,000 bond in March 2024.
Komoroski ending up pleading guilty to reckless homicide, a felony DUI, and two counts of DUI causing greater bodily injury or death.
However, she didn't strike a plea deal, meaning the case ultimately went to trial.
At her trial, Komoroski apologized to her victims, saying that "this is the worst decision I have ever made in my life.
"I want them to know how sorry I am from the bottom of my heart and that I take full responsibility for my actions."
Ultimately, the judge sentenced Komoroski to 25 years in jail on a reckless homicide charge, 15 years for the two DUI charges and 10 years for the felony DUI charge. These sentences will be carried out concurrently, meaning Komoroski will spend 50 years behind bars.
Following the death of his wife, Aric Hutchinson filed a wrongful death suit against Komoroski and the bars that served her the night she killed Miller.
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The alleged drunk driver that crashed into a newlywed couple, killing the bride and injuring the groom moments after their wedding, reportedly cried and asked "why me?" after the tragedy.
Jamie Lee Komorski, 25, remains in custody after being charged with three counts of DUI causing serious bodily injury or death and one count of reckless homicide.
She was allegedly three times over the legal limit when she crashed her car into a golf cart carrying Aric Hutchinson and Samantha Miller from their wedding.
Samantha was killed in the incident and Aric was severely injured, including having two broken legs - one of which needed to be surgically repaired - as well as bleeding on the brain, broken bones in his face, and broken vertebrae in his back, but survived.
Komoroski is currently awaiting her court date, and recordings of her conversations with family and friends from jail have now been released.
The Post and Courier obtained the recordings, which were taken at Charleston County Jail, through an open record request and revealed that Komoroski feared her life is "going to be over" in the wake of the incident.
The publication reports that Komoroski sobbed in one recorded phone call, telling her parents: "I can’t believe this is my life... and my whole life is going to be over.
"Oh my God. I just can’t believe this happened to me... Why me?... I’m going to be here for years and years and years and years."
Her father was then reportedly heard telling her to "suck it up" and "get tough" while in prison, to which she responded: "I can't. I want it to be over."
In another call to her parents, Komoroski reportedly said: "I'm just so confused, like, why this would happen to me," adding: "I just pray and hope that the judge understands how regretful and remorseful I am, and that I’m not a bad person and that I’ll never do anything bad again."
In a separate video call with her friends and boyfriend, Komoroski reportedly said she felt like a "terrible person" for what had happened but believed she wouldn't have to serve prison time as the crash had been accidental.
The publication reports her saying: "There’s been people that have, like, killed people on purpose before and, like, they’ve gotten out on a bond.
"It was just like a freak accident … obviously, I didn’t mean it to happen. I just feel like a terrible person, like, I didn’t mean for any of that to happen."
Komoroski then told her friends: "Please don’t be stupid like I was because all it takes is one time."
In later recordings, she reportedly seemed to understand how serious the situation was and the lengthy jail sentence that she could face, with a DUI charge carrying up to 15 years in prison, while a vehicular homicide charge could be 10 years.
The groom has also filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Komoroski as well as the bars and restaurants that served her alcohol on that tragic night, despite her allegedly being "noticeably and visibly intoxicated".
A GoFundMe has also been set up to cover Sam's funeral costs as well as Aric's medical bills, and over $729,000 has been raised so far.
Komoroski is set to appear in court on June 16.
The alleged drunk driver that is accused of killing a bride on her wedding day has reportedly lamented why this "had to happen to her" during phone calls from prison.
Jamie Lee Komoroski, 25, is charged with vehicular homicide and three counts of felony DUI (driving under the influence) after the tragic incident on April 28.
Aric and Samantha Hutchinson had left their wedding reception on a golf cart at around 10:00PM, when a car allegedly driven by Komoroski crashed into them, killing 34-year-old Samantha and leaving Aric with several broken bones and brain trauma.
The couple had been pictured beaming with joy at their wedding earlier in the evening before the tragedy, with Komoroski allegedly hitting them while driving at 65 mph in a 25 mph zone, according to an affidavit obtained by the New York Post.
The outlet says the affidavit detailed that police reported that Komoroski smelled of alcohol but refused to take a breath test, but informed police that she'd had one beer and one shot of tequila before the incident.
When given the opportunity to rate how sober she was on a scale of one to 10, with 10 being completely sober, she gave herself an eight, but court records stated that she had a blood alcohol level more than three times the legal limit.
Komoroski had been put on suicide watch after being booked into Charleston County jail, and reportedly kept asking "why me" after the incident.
A judge last week rejected Komoroski's defense team's request that she be released on bond, and in new phone calls released from jail, she discussed her case with her father.
While there was no mention of the victims or the crash itself according to Court TV, Komoroski's father Chris Komoroski reportedly told her: "We can’t be doin' any better than what we’re doin'. You got the best team to help you, alright?", to which she responded: "I just don’t know why this had to happen to me."
Her father then said: "Because bad things happen to good people, honey. That’s why. It’s just fate. It’s just something that happened to you, and we are going to deal with it as best we can, OK? And it’s life-altering. You’re going to, you know, experience stuff that you’ve never thought of, and when it’s all over and done with, and everything is finished, you’re going to be a better person."
Komoroski then asked him: "What if they send me away for a really long time?", to which her father says they are "trying to avoid that", adding that people had praised the attorneys the family had instructed, adding: "They said 'The family must be mafia to hire them people,'" to which they both laughed.
In another call, Komoroski told her boyfriend about a meeting she had with Charleston County Sheriff Kristin Graziano, who she says is "trying to help me out", adding: "[She] is like… ;I don’t want you in here, like, you should be with your family, like, blah, blah, blah.' So that’s like, really good."
Graziano has, however, also been ordered to pay $33,175 by a judge on Monday after she previously refused Gray Media Group's request to access the phone calls under South Carolina's Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
It came after some of the calls were released to the Post and Courier, as cited by Law and Crime, in which Komoroski said: "I can’t believe this is my life and my whole life is going to be over", "Oh my God. I just can’t believe this happened to me. Why me? I’m going to be here for years and years and years and years", and: "But I wanted to make sure that I could say an apology and they said I would be able to say an apology."
The outlet also stated that Komoroski called the crash a "freak accident obviously" and said she felt like "a terrible person."
In the new calls released this week, Komoroski also spoke to her boyfriend, who has not been named, about the caliber of the food in jail, telling him: "Lunch today was… it was two slices of white bread, an uncooked piece of bologna… and then, like, cabbage, and two cookies."
When her boyfriend asked if there were any condiments available, she responded: "No! They fed us hotdogs one night. Two hotdogs and no ketchup or anything… no buns or anything… it’s so bad."
She then told him: "I just got my snack pack in the mail today so I have Doritos and, um, cookies. These cookies are so addicting! I already ate, like, 20 of them today. They’re the cookies that they give you for dessert. Sometimes you get cookies and sometimes you get cake. These cookies that they give you at this jail - I’m gonna start buying them when I come home. I’m not kidding. And I really like their soap!"
Komoroski will remain behind bars until at least March 2024, which is the deadline for prosecutors to bring the case to trial. If the case is not brought to trial by this time, Komoroski will be released on a $150,000 surety bond with electronic monitoring and house arrest.
The driver charged with killing a bride just moments after her wedding is reportedly expecting to tie the knot herself.
In a heart-wrenching jailhouse conversation obtained exclusively by the New York Post, Jamie Lee Komoroski, the driver charged in the tragic incident involving new bride Samantha Miller, tearfully outlined her own wedding aspirations to her father.
Komoroski, 26, was charged with four counts in relation to striking Miller and her new husband - Aric Hutchinson - with her Toyota as they left their beach wedding reception on April 28 last year.
Miller tragically lost her life while wearing her wedding dress, while Hutchinson and two other guests sustained serious injuries after Komoroski collided with a golf cart they were being transported on.
In the aftermath of the tragedy, a GoFundMe campaign was launched with the aim of easing the financial burden of Aric's soaring medical expenses - eventually hitting more than $730,000.
Despite facing up to 25 years behind bars for the fatal crash, Komoroski, speaking from the Al Cannon Detention Center, expressed her longing for her father's presence at her future wedding, telling him: "I want you to be at my wedding. I want you to walk me down the aisle."
During the emotional call - which was obtained by The Post - Komoroski also expressed her deep affection for her boyfriend, Evan Tatro, who has remained steadfast by her side throughout the ordeal.
In conversations with Tatro, Komoroski expressed gratitude for his unwavering support and eagerly anticipated their reunion, sharing intimate details of her daily life in confinement. "I can’t wait to get a hug from you, oh my gosh, you had just better wear a rain jacket," she told him.
Pictures shared on Komoroski’s Instagram page show several tender moments between her and Tatro - which has since been flooded with negative comments.
While Komoroski’s defense team sought her release on bond, citing her lack of prior criminal history and family support, Judge Michael Nettles, during a poignant court appearance attended by Miller’s mother, ordered Komoroski to remain incarcerated until the commencement of her trial in March.
Prosecutors allege that Komoroski was speeding and extremely intoxicated when she crashed her car into the back of the golf cart carrying Samantha, Aric, and two other wedding guests.
She is facing charges of reckless vehicular homicide and three counts of felony driving under the influence.
In previous calls with her family, Komoroski leaned on her faith for support, saying: "I just wanted to let you guys know I'm okay and that this is a part of God's plan. I think it's going to pan out for the best, and everything is going to be okay. I think it’s a part of God's plan."
Aric - who survived the crash - sustained injuries that included multiple fractures, with one leg requiring surgical intervention. His facial bones also required surgical repair, alongside broken vertebrae in his back, brain hemorrhages, and numerous cuts necessitating stitches.
As well as his injuries and the grief of losing his new wife, Aric is now reportedly facing a legal battle against Samantha's mother over control of her estate.
The woman who allegedly struck a golf cart while drunk, killing a newlywed bride who was leaving her wedding ceremony, reportedly confessed to being an "alcoholic [and] addict."
According to law enforcement, Jamie Lee Komoroski’s blood-alcohol level was triple the legal limit when she sped a rented car into a golf cart carrying 34-year-old Samantha Miller and her groom, 36-year-old Aric Hutchinson as the new spouses left their beach wedding reception in South Carolina on April 28 2023.
Miller succumbed to her injuries at Folly Beach while still clad in her wedding dress. They had been traveling back to their hotel with two of their wedding guests, who were also injured in the incident but not fatally.
Komoroski has been released from custody on house arrest after posting a $150,000 bond and is currently awaiting trial.
In phone calls (obtained by The New York Post) made in the lead up to her release from custody on March 1, 26-year-old Komoroski allegedly told her sister, Kelsi, she has no control where alcohol is concerned and that it had taken over her life.
“I consider myself an alcoholic addict because anything that makes me feel different or takes me away from what I’m supposed to be feeling, I used to try to do,” she said on December 11.
“I just didn’t think life had any meaning. I was extremely lonely and didn’t get life. I could never just sit down with my thoughts.”
In a separate phone call made from the Al Cannon Detention Center in South Carolina, Komoroski is said to have shared all the things she hopes to do including a visit to see the Northern Lights in Scandinavia.
“I want to go to [a] Harry Potter [exhibit]. We need to do that. You get wands…and pretend that we are wizards,” she said to her brother CJ in a December 6 conversation.
In a different call some days later, Komoroski purportedly told her dad, Charles, she was also looking forward to spending time with family.
“I can’t wait until I can watch The History Channel with you again,” she said on Decemeber 10. “[We can make] popcorn. I’ll have ice cream…[and] cake.”
Komoroski must remain in Charleston County as part of her bail deal. She is facing four felony charges, including reckless homicide. This holds a maximum 25-year prison term.
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