Evidence of Swan Boat Club tragedy presented in court
The driver accused of killing two young siblings in the Swan Boat Club tragedy in Newport is due back in Monroe County Court on Thursday for a hearing that will determine whether the case against her will go to trial.
Marshella Chidester, 66, is accused of driving while intoxicated. Police say she drove an SUV through the wall of the boat club on April 20 during a 3-year-old’s circus-themed birthday party, killing two younger siblings and injuring about a dozen others. Chidester’s attorney, however, has said the accident was not caused by alcohol but by a medical problem.
She was charged with eight crimes in connection with the accident, including two counts of premeditated murder and two counts of driving under the influence of alcohol resulting in death.
Chidester’s blood alcohol content on the day of the crash will likely be disclosed during Thursday’s hearing in Monroe 1st District Court, called a preliminary hearing, along with other evidence presented by the prosecution.
The scene of the tragedy was described as chaotic and gruesome: a loud bang heard several houses down the gravel road, then screams from children, parents, grandparents. Adults rushed to help small children to safety. Victims thought a bomb had exploded. The floor was littered with debris and leftover food from the birthday party was strewn everywhere, including on the ceiling.
Monroe County Prosecutor Jeffery Yorkey had previously stated in court that a preliminary breathalyzer test found Chidester to be “well over the legal limit,” but did not elaborate. He had pointed to a history of “serious drug abuse” that was allegedly confirmed by Chidester’s friends and family, and that Chidester had admitted to drinking that day.
But Bill Colovos, Chidester’s attorney, said his client suffers from neuropathy that causes “epileptic seizures” in her legs. Chidester drank only one glass of wine that day but then “passed out” from a seizure and “regrets it deeply,” he previously told the Free Press.
She began having seizures in November, and a doctor advised her not to drive for two months but did not impose any further restrictions, Colovos said.
The victims include Zayn Phillips, 4, and Alanah Phillips, 8, who were killed. Their mother, Mariah Dodds, was injured but survived, along with her 11-year-old son, who suffered broken legs, ribs and a fractured skull. Dodds suffered broken ribs and a collapsed lung.
Among the victims was Diane Medina, a friend of Chidester’s from the boat club, who suffered three broken pelvises, a broken nose, internal bleeding and a head injury.
Medina, 57, of Carleton, told the Free Press in April that she couldn’t wait to see her friend Chidester in court.
She gets her chance on Thursday.
Andrea Sahouri covers criminal justice for the Detroit Free Press. She can be reached at [email protected].
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