Crime Stories with Nancy Grace - Bride Mowed Down DEAD IN WEDDING DRESS

Episode Date: May 3, 2023

Samantha Miller and her fiancé Aric Hutchinson spend the night celebrating their wedding. When the newlyweds leave the reception, the golf cart in which they are riding is plowed over by a speeding car. Police say Jamie Komoroski was driving 65 mph in a 25 mph zone. Bride Samantha Miller is killed. Komoroski admitted to police that she had been drinking that night, but refused to take a breathalyzer test. Three other people in the golf cart, including the groom are injured. Jamie Lee Komoroski, 25, is charged with three counts of DUI with great bodily injury or death and reckless homicide. Joining Nancy Grace Today: Lisa Miller- Mother of the Bride; Gofundme: Samantha Miller- Gone Too Soon Sarah Ford- Legal Director, South Carolina Victim Assistance Network; Former Prosecutor (focusing on crimes against women and children); Host of "Stepping Toward Justice" podcast; Twitter: @Sarahafordfordesq Dr. Shari Schwartz- Forensic Psychologist (specializing in Capital Mitigation and Victim Advocacy); Twitter: @TrialDoc; Author: "Criminal Behavior" and "Where Law and Psychology Intersect: Issues in Legal Psychology"   Jason Jensen- Private Investigator: Jensen Private Investigations; Cold Case Expert (Salt Lake City, UT), and Co-founder: "Cold Case Coalition;" Twitter: @JasonJPI, Facebook/Instagram: "Jensen Investigations"  Dr. Tim Gallagher - Medical Examiner, State of Florida; Lecturer: University of Florida Medical School Forensic Medicine; Founder/Host: International Forensic Medicine Death Investigation Conference  Stephen Eisenberg- President and Founder of Golf Concepts LLC (expert in golf/golf cart-related accidents) Stacey D. Stewart- CEO of Mother Against Drunk Driving (MADD); Twitter: @maddnational, madd.org Sydney Heiberger- Reporter, Queen City News in Charlotte, NC; Twitter: @SydneyHeiberger  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You're listening to an iHeart Podcast. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. A heartbreaking final photo shows a new bride and groom beaming just moments after their wedding as they take off in a golf cart just before a drunk driver plows into

the newlyweds killing the bride. I'm Nancy Grace. This is Crime Stories. Thank you for being with us here at Fox Nation and Sirius XM 111. First of all, take a listen to our friends at WCIV. Sam Miller and her fiancé, Eric Hutchinson,

had been together for three years. I've never seen the light in her eyes shine as bright as that day. April 28th, Samantha Miller and Eric Hutchinson vowed to spend the rest of their lives together. It was the best day of her life. A beach ceremony, dancing and drinks to follow. Announced a surprise dance for the most important person in Sam's life, which was me. And we danced to Bruno Mars, Just the Way You Are.

That's our song. The happy couple left the reception under a canopy of sparklers. On the beginning of the golf cart ride, she said, I wish this night could go on forever. The best night of her life. You were hearing the voice when you heard someone say it was the best day of her life. They announced a surprise dance for the most important person in Sam's life. You're hearing the voice of Sam, Samantha, mother, Lisa Miller. And joining us right now is Lisa Miller, mother of the bride, Samantha Miller. Miss Miller, mother of the bride, Samantha Miller. Ms. Miller, first of all, we are so sorry, deeply and profoundly sorry, for what you

and your family and the groom are living through right now. It's really hard to put words to it. It's not just a passing. It's the end of a whole future together. Describe, Ms. She, typical Sam, I don't know if you guys have seen the picture, but she got to the wedding and of course it's a beach venue. So there's nowhere for her to hide, you know, in her dress. So she literally, when I knew they were here, her dad brought her in his four runner and she was laying in the back of the 4Runner on her stomach with her legs up in the air. Just smiling so big, so happy, rewriting her vows because they were messy. She didn't want them to be messy.

So let me understand. Sam was lying on her tummy in her wedding dress in the back of dad's 4Runner with her feet up in the air to fit on the seat, rewriting her vows. It was the funniest sight ever, but that's Sam. Like, she doesn't care about, you know, she's just quirky maybe is the word. I don't know. A free spirit. Yes, a free spirit, for sure. And moving forward, the wedding started. Their vows ended up being almost exactly alike, which is pretty cool.

And they did not write them together. And then the energy, I mean, there was food and drinks and all that, but the, and the dance floor upstairs, she did her, her, um, father daughter dance. Uh, they did their first dance to John legend. I think it's called you move. I move. Sammy's never been a dancer. Her sister's a dancer. Like she used to dance like Elaine on, uh, Seinfeld. And all of a sudden she was up there dancing with her husband to that John legend song.

And she's swaying like to the music and just beautiful. It's a beautiful video. Um, sorry. Um, but anyway, uh, so she danced with her,

her, both her dads after that. And then the DJ comes on and says, oh, surprise dance for the most important person in Sam's life. And that moment right there tells a lot about Sam. She loved like no other person. She knew that I might just feel a little bit weird not having a dance with my daughter,

you know, even though it's not traditional, but we're not traditional people for sure. And her and I, just from the moment she was born her whole life, I mean, she's just my best friend. And then, I keep thinking of these interjections like so that dance was for you

that dance was for me the most important person in her life yeah and at the end when he's saying you're amazing just the way you are and all that we're just pointing at each other

when I see your face you know because we both felt the same about each other that was our our song. And it was a moment that I'm so thankful for. And that just tells who Sam is. I mean, and then after that, it was time for the DJ and dancing

and the energy in that pavilion. And all these different groups of people, because there was people from Charlotte and there was people from Utah where Eric came from and people from Folly Beach. And, you know, so a lot of people didn't know. It wasn't like everybody knew everybody, but it was like everybody was one and everybody was celebrating Sam. Sam. Sam. Then what happened? Did they do the traditional? They cut the cake. They ate the cake. They danced the night away. Her sister made her cake for her and she didn't want like a wedding cake wedding cake. She just wanted so Eric loved pineapples so that's another moment. They were doing the cake on their own. It was just for them them it wasn't for anybody else so they just did that on their own you are hearing the voice of sam's mom lisa miller how could something so wonderful

go so wrong take a listen to our friends at crime online the pelican watch pavilion is a public beachfront facility in Folly Beach. The 1,200-square-foot facility is a popular wedding spot. After their 5 p.m. wedding, Eric Hutchinson and Samantha Miller enjoy their reception. At about 9.45 p.m., the couple is ready to leave. The couple gets into the back seat of a fully equipped golf cart being driven by the bride's brother-in-law and nephew. The vehicle has lights and is legal to drive on the road. The golf cart pulls out along East Ashley Avenue, a two-lane

road that runs parallel to the ocean. The speed limit is just 25 miles an hour. It should have taken them just minutes to travel the two blocks to their rental house. Miss Miller, when your daughter left, they had a very short distance to go from the ceremony, from the reception. Yes. What happened? So they did their sparkler exit. What's the sparkler exit? Where everybody lines up and lights sparklers and they go underneath. It was beautiful. She was the happiest i've ever seen her in her life they got on the golf cart they left uh 10 minutes later we went to our airbnb which was before theirs so they were still traveling uh i started hearing sirens we were on the porch at the air. I started hearing sirens.

And literally, I looked at my daughter and I said, something happened to Sam. I knew something happened to Sam. What do you mean you looked at your daughter? What do you mean? I just knew that that's what happened. Like my intuition with her, like we feel each other. You looked at your other daughter and you said, something has happened to Sam. You knew.

Something happened to Sam. I knew that the sirens meant that Sam, it was Sam. I knew it was something happened to Sam while they were on their way home. Just for the sirens, I just, like, I knew it. It's the weirdest thing ever. What did you do? Right after that happened, Eric's sister-in-law came,

drove by and she said, have you heard? And I'm like, no, I haven't heard, but I just said I know something happened to Sam. And I'm sorry, before that I called Sam and told her,

apologized for calling her on her wedding night, but that she'd call me back and let me know she was okay. And then the family member came by and they said, get in the truck. And so me and my daughter got in the truck and she took us to the scene, which was maybe a mile away, not even two blocks from where they were going to stay. And me and my daughter got out of the truck and just started running hand in hand towards the scene and just screaming, Sam, Sam, Sam. I was like, I had a really bad movie. Anyway, my ex-husband, her dad was there and my son waiting at the scene and trying to figure out what was going on.

And we were told by somebody, I don't know know who that everybody had been taken to the hospital and so my daughter and i went to the hospital and because i guess we were told that because they didn't have id that for now everybody was jane doe and they couldn't say anything or whether sam was there or Eric or anything. So that was a really long wait. And then finally, Sam's dad called and told me that Samantha wasn't at the hospital, that he had just identified her by her tattoo and she was still at the scene. And that she had been killed. And, like, the daughter gets plowed down by a drunk driver on her wedding night in her wedding dress.

I don't think anything can be any worse. No, I don't know that anything can be any worse. No, I don't know that anything can be any worse, Ms. Miller. So you get to the scene. You're told everybody was taken to the hospital. You go to the hospital and wait and wait and wait. Nobody can be

identified yet. And then you get a call from your husband that says he's at the scene and your daughter, Sam, is still at the scene. Yeah. And that, I mean, literally his words were, she's been killed. One of those fun calls I won't ever forget either.

Did you leave the hospital and go to the scene? Well, I was at the hospital for a while just outside, just crying and screaming. And I don't think we left the hospital until like 3 o'clock in the morning. And at that point, I did not go to the scene. He told me not to go to the scene. I know that there was a person there was some people on folly four ladies that when the accident happened

they each took one of the people on the golf cart so that they wouldn't be alone suffering and sat with them and the lady that sat with Sam was an RN and she said she was already gone so silver lining if there is any she didn't suffer And the lady that sat with Sam was an RN, and she said she was already gone.

So silver lining, if there is any, she didn't suffer. Guys, you're hearing the voice of Samantha's mom, Samantha's mother, Lisa Miller, the mother of the bride, telling one of the most heartbreaking stories I've ever heard in my life. Pause for a big thank you to our partner making today's program possible. It's Fox Nation and its brand new series, Scampreneur. Hey, do you love a good con artist story? Then you need to check out the new Fox Nation series, Scampreneur. This series takes a deep dive into the outrageous lies and elaborate scams pulled off by three master manipulators, Elizabeth Holmes, Carrie Farrell, and Anthony Gignac. In episode one, meet the Silicon Valley swindler, Elizabeth Holmes, who cons the world and wealthy investors into her wishful thinking. Will she pay the price for

her crimes? Episode two, learn about the hipster grifter, Carrie Farrell, who scammed her own family and friends out of thousands, but the police had a plan of their own. Episode three, learn about the fake Saudi prince, Anthony Gignac, who spent two decades committing low-level grifts, but his next get-rich-quick scam turns out to be his biggest mistake. Through interviews with investigators, victims, and whistleblowers, Scampreneur reveals how these con artists were captured and punished for their crimes. Don't miss this incredible series, Scampreneur, streaming now on Fox Nation. Thanks, Fox Nation, for being our partner. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. Let me go to Dr. Sherry Schwartz, joining us, forensic psychologist. Having Dr. Schwartz is not just a death.

It's not just a sudden death or unexpected death. It's not just the death of someone young and vibrant and full of life. All of those things are in themselves insurmountable. But having lost my fiance to murder just before our wedding, it's the end of what you believe is your future. Everything you had hoped and dreamed and planned and mapped out is gone, just like that. And it almost seems unreal. It absolutely will seem unreal because it is unreal. It's something that we don't plan for. It's something that we cannot imagine. And the shock, it takes a while to really your brain to catch up and process what has happened and really what the implications of what has happened really are. It's a terrible, terrible trauma. Joining us in addition to Ms. Miller, this is

Samantha's mom, is Sydney Heiberger with the Queen City News in Charlotte. Sydney, thank you so much for being with us. Who plowed into a golf cart? Because, hold on sydney steven eisenberg is with us expert in golf and golf cart related accidents and president and founder of golf concepts steven thanks for being with us i don't think a golf cart can even go that fast even if you floored it no this type of you're right nancy this type of a vehicle a low speed vehicle the term, and it would go at a maximum 20 miles per hour. So what I'm saying, Sidney Heiberger, and I'm going to circle back to Jason Jensen, who's a PI with Jensen Investigations, to try to figure out how you put this back together again. Sydney Heiberger with Queen City News. How does someone plow in to a vehicle that cannot go over about 20 miles an hour? It's inching along. It's barely going. For obvious reasons, you don't want a golf cart speeding on a golf course where there are a lot of pedestrians.

So it's incapable of speeding. This couldn't possibly have been Samantha's fault. Yeah, Nancy, you're absolutely right. And for that very reason, because that there are so many golf carts and low speed vehicles on Folly Beach, the speed limit on the roads throughout the island are 25 miles per hour. So for this driver to be going 65 miles per hour in a 25 mile per hour zone, of course, and law enforcement on Folly Beach have said that this really was not Samantha's fault or anyone in that golf cart's fault. Of course, they were allowed to be driving that low speed vehicle on these roads at night. They had their lights on. They were going, of course, under the speed limit because that golf cart could not go over the speed

limit. And this driver was going unreasonably fast in a 25-mile-per-hour zone. I'm trying to figure out where everyone is seated. Take a listen to our cut to WCBD. The couple lived on James Island. On Friday night, friends and family from all over came to Folly Beach to watch Miller and Hutchinson exchange their vows. Jenkins says she's never seen her sister so excited. The couple wed at five o'clock then celebrated into the night. Jenkins says the newlyweds left the venue around 945 to go back to their Airbnb on a golf cart. The bride's brother-in-law and nephew were in the front and the couple in the back. So let me circle back to you, Sydney Heiberger,

joining us, Queen City News. The bride was in the back and brother-in-law and nephew were in the front driving. That's my understanding, yes. And I understand that the groom was also in the back with Samantha. Yes. Ms. Miller, is that you? Yes.

Tell me what you understand Yes. Ms. Miller, is that you? Yes, that's it. Tell me what you understand happened, Ms. Miller. Eric's brother-in-law offered to drive them back to the Airbnb. That golf cart, by the way, was lent to Sam by her very nice boss. He let her use it for the departure of the wedding um and my understanding of what happens this person was intoxicated had had some kind of confrontation or belligerent behavior at the establishment where she was and i'm not going to say anything about where it's not my business to say that and left intoxicated or on drugs or something

and just was I guess she was angry would be my guess if she was being belligerent and just got in her car and I we don't know where in the world she was going because she lived on James Island as well and this on folly was going the opposite direction from her going home, if that's where she was going. There was nothing really down that way except houses for her to go to. Take a listen to our cut 10 from WCIV. According to Folly Beach Public Safety, 25-year-old Jamie Lee Komoroski hit the LSV.

She's charged with three counts of felony DUI, resulting in great bodily harm or death, and one count of reckless homicide. She literally ran into my daughter going 65 miles an hour because Sam and Eric were on the back of the golf cart. And so she basically just ran my child. The groom's mom, GoFundMe, says the hit forced the LSV to travel over 100 yards and roll several times. And I never thought it would happen to us and to my beautiful sister and her beautiful daughter and all the 150 people that were there. And our cut nine. Sam and Eric were two blocks away from their home when their low-speed vehicle was hit.

I got in our pajamas sitting on the balcony beside Burt's at our place where we're staying and started to hear the sirens and the sirens kept going. They texted Sam but got no response. And we just got out of the truck and just running. No shoes. Screaming Sam, Sam. A real-life nightmare. Caution tape, so many lights. It was dark, but there were so many lights. Sam! I want to go straight back to Sydney Heiberger with Queen City News. I'm just trying to figure out, Sydney, who is this person? Who slammed in to Sam just moments after her wedding? Who is this person who slammed in to Sam just moments after her wedding?

Who is this person? Well, Nancy, she's a 25-year-old who has previous DUI charges. At the scene, she admitted to officers that she had had at least two drinks before getting in the car, a beer and a tequila drink. And when officers on the scene asked her on a scale of one to 10, how intoxicated are you? She answered an eight. Joining me right now is Stacey D. Stewart, CEO of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, known as MAD. Stacey, thank you for being with us. In every HV, habitual violator case, or vehicular homicide DUI case I have ever investigated or prosecuted, which are many, if the perp admits to X amount, then you can double that by at least two or three. So she said, I had a beer and a tequila translation. I had five

beers and five tequilas or something along those lines. But what tells the tale is the BAC blood alcohol. Exactly. And thank you, Nancy. And first, let me just say, Ms. Miller, we are so deeply sorry for your loss. This is, you know, the issue of drunk and drug driving is a completely 100% preventable tragedy. It never had to happen. This never should have happened. And, you know, the issue of drunk and drug driving is a completely 100% preventable tragedy. It never had to happen. This never should have happened. And, you know, MADD is a part of having passed laws to make sure that the.08 blood alcohol concentration level is a part of our laws now. And unfortunately today, still too many people get behind the wheel and drive drunk.

And it's unfortunate. And it leads to crashes. It leads to death and injury. Unfortunately, the way we've lost Sam. And it's so sad and heartbreaking. I want to go to Dr. Tim Gallagher joining us, medical examiner for the state of Florida at PathCareMed.com, lecturer at University of Florida Medical School and Forensic Medicine,

and the founder and host of the and Forensic Medicine and the founder and host of the International Forensic Medicine Death Investigation Conference. Dr. Gallagher, thank you for being with us. It's my understanding, and Ms. Miller, correct me if I'm wrong, that when Samantha's golf cart was hit, it caused a rollover that went at least 100 yards. It's my belief and my hope that Samantha died instantly, as Ms. Miller suggested that a nurse told her. What happened? So my understanding is this was a rollover accident.

But before we talk about that, I just want to extend my sympathies to the Miller family, you know, for their loss of Samantha. This is just an awful, terrible story. I don't know how it could be worse, Nancy. What we have here is a rollover type accident, and typically what we find in rollover type accidents, especially when the occupants are not belted in with a seat belt, is that they are ejected from the vehicle. So when you're ejected from the vehicle that's going about 65 miles per hour, the landing or the secondary impact is generally what is the fatal impact. And then typically what we find in these victims are skull fractures, are brain damage, are severe internal organ damage to the point where sometimes the heart is actually ripped from the body, the ribs are fractured, and there's a massive, massive internal bleeding. Many of the times you

also find the spinal cord has been severed and typically these patients or these decedents, these victims, die instantaneously. They have no recollection, no feeling that they're died. It's just an instantaneous death. So you're awake one moment, and the next moment you're in heaven. Absolutely. So there is no suffering in this type of high-impact rollover-type accident. Sidney Heiberger, did you tell me that this woman, this drunk driver, who, by the way, refused a breathalyzer, although when you refuse a breathalyzer, you're taken straight to get a blood vial drawn. So refusing a breathalyzer

doesn't help anybody at all. Did you tell me, Sydney Heiberger, she had priors? Yes, Nancy, that is my understanding. She has a prior, at least we've seen a prior mugshot for another DUI incident. And you're absolutely right in that she did refuse a breathalyzer and they did take vials of blood to send off to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division to get her BAC. That was per a court order and those results, as far as we know, have not been released yet. Joining me right now, in addition to Ms. Miller, Sam's mom, is Jason Jensen, a renowned private investigator joining us, cold case expert, co-founder of the Cold Case Coalition.

Jason, thank you for being with us. According to reports, the driver, the defendant in this case, Jamie Lee Komorowski, was, quote, reeking of alcohol. Reeking of alcohol when she slammed into the bride and the groom in an unprotected golf cart. It's not like you hit a car where you've got a door protecting you and a top. This is a golf cart. I mean, hold on. Steven Eisenberg, do golf carts even have seatbelts? A low-speed vehicle typically would have either the option, but to be street legal, it should have seatbelts. Yes, Nancy. So I think you're saying in a nice way, it may or may not have had seatbelts. Correct. Because I've never seen seatbelts in a golf cart or on a school bus, which I also don't understand.

But I've never, for today, I've never seen them on a golf cart, ever. Well, this type of vehicle is not really for a golf course. It's not technically a golf car. By definition, a low-speed vehicle is for use on roads or for use in gated communities, but it isn't typically used on a golf herself, especially being a four-seater, so it really wouldn't be a golf car. So you're saying it may have had a seat belt? Correct. Back to you, Jason Jensen, private investigator. Jason, if she reeked of alcohol, the suspect, Jamie Lee Komorowski, there is no way she had one beer and one drink with tequila in it. If you are reeking, you've had a lot more than that.

I would agree with you, Nancy. I mean, typically what we see here is a pattern of evolution of where this type of offender, you referred to earlier as potentially a habitual offender. What we see here is the progression of a worsening violator where typically if it's your first DUI, you're pulled over, you're apologetic. You know, everyone would expect you to learn your lesson and not do it again. But here she's progressed to where now she's refusing breathalyzer. She's not cooperating. She's clearly left in an agitated state, well beyond her alcohol levels that are permissible by most states. So, you know, she didn't learn anything from her prior offense.

Here she is now. She's gone to the extreme of killing people in the process. So it is a motor vehicle accident in the context that vehicles were involved, but there's criminal elements because she was reckless. I don't think it's an accident. I may be parsing words with you, Jason Jensen, but I call this a crash. Yeah, yeah. Because, and I guarantee you, Stacey D. Stewart's going to agree with

me, CEO of Mad Mothers Against Drunk Driving, because it's a decision to go to a bar and drink. Officers noted, and I quote, Komorowski was, quote, very unsteady on her feet and almost fell down. They asked her to rate her level of impairment one to ten.

She said an eight. The officer states, and I quote, I smelled an odor of alcohol coming from her breath and person. Yes, Nancy. So this woman was literally stinking drunk. Stacey Stewart, for her to admit two drinks means she's had a whole lot more, but she knows enough, Stacey, not to take the breathalyzer. I mean, one night I was coming home from an investigation on an arson murder, and I stayed with a victim's friend, a piano teacher,

till 11 30 at night and was just talking, looking at pictures, talking about their friendship and about the victim. I was driving home. Now it's about a quarter of 12. I got pulled over. The officer actually asked me to do a breathalyzer. And I know better than to argue. I'm like, sure, I'll do a breathalyzer. You have to know better or know why you should tell a cop who's giving you a directive to say no. I'm telling you, this ain't her first time at the rodeo, Stacey Stewart. Well, this is a crash that, again, could have been presentable. One of the things that we're working on at MADD in South Carolina in particular, because the past few years, Nancy, we have seen an extraordinary increase in

drunk driving fatalities in the country and especially in South Carolina you know the past two years we've seen double-digit increases in in drunk driving fatalities and by 14 percent uh each year in 2020 and 2021 and even more in South Carolina, the laws in South Carolina have to be changed. Right now, if you are found that your BAC level is above 1.8 or even above 1.15, which is even higher than legally allowed, that is the trigger for what we call ignition interlock, the kind of technology that would disable your car if you are intoxicated. Right now, you can be below 1.5, still get in the car drunk, and your car will still go. And that is part of the laws that we need to change. We're working on in South Carolina.

It possibly could have prevented this from happening. This occurred in Folly Beach, South Carolina, where I believe the legal limit is.08. If that's wrong, somebody correct me. It is. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. Joining us now is Sarah Ford, Legal Director, South Carolina Victims Assistance Network. Sarah, this is your neck of the woods. This is Folly Beach, South Carolina.

Isn't the legal limit.08? Yes, no. That's correct, Nancy. Sarah Ford, we heard someone earlier state that this was an accident. That's total BS. This is no accident. This is a crash. And I frankly believe and have advocated that cases just like this one should not be a vehicular homicide. This should be a murder.

And I'll tell you why. Because it takes intent, Sarah. It takes intent for you to belly up to a bar and not have one, but two, and we believe many more drinks. Then you get the key to your car. You walk to your car, get into your car, crank it up, knowing you've been drinking, put it in reverse, and start driving. She knew perfectly well that she was driving drunk. And as you know, under the law, we are to infer that the defendant intends the natural consequence of their act. Those are not my words.

That's the black and white letter of the law. The law presumes you intend the natural consequence of your act when you are driving drunk to the point that you literally stink of booze. The natural consequence is a wreck. That means intent. You don't have to get in the car and say, oh, I intend to mow down Sam on the night of her wedding. No, that's not what intent is under the law. I believe this should be a flat out murder. Thoughts?

I think you're absolutely right. You know, there were choices that were made by this defendant. These choices had tragic consequences for these people, for these families. It's absolutely horrific. And being a South Carolina resident going to Collier Beach is incomprehensible, traveling 65 miles per hour on that road. You know, it's absolutely horrific, absolutely tragic. And I agree, I do believe that they should increase the charges against this suspect and charge her with felony DUI with death. That's a mandatory minimum of one year to 25 years. That's a good way to approach it, Sarah. That's a very good, that's a brilliant legal thought, actually. Felony murder, which means a death occurred during the commission of a felony.

Ms. Miller joining us. Ms. Miller, if I hear the facts again, I think that I will break down and cry right along with you. Tell me, how is Eric? He physically is improving every day. I had a reconstruction on his face surgery yesterday. He's had a couple surgeries on his feet and legs, but he will be okay physically eventually. He's got a long, long, long road. Emotionally, I'm very close with Eric, and he's like Sam's twin basically where it comes to their heart and how they feel we always kind of used to laugh and call him cry baby but

just joke he just he feels so deep so that's a good thing when things are good and it's a really bad thing especially now because he's gonna have a really hard road emotionally moving forward um and our plan is or my plan is to try to get here on james island or in south carolina permanently so that i can be there for him because he doesn't want to leave i I've got to tell you, just from my own experience, it changes the rest of your life. Oh, yeah. You're never the same.

How did Eric learn that Sam had actually passed away? When he first was in the hospital, he was kind of in and out of consciousness for a while and honestly that day the timeline is kind of blurry to me but his brother was with him and eventually when he kind of came back to um conscious he told him so he was yeah he was made aware as soon as he came to so it wasn't wasn right that, I don't know if it was that night or the next morning, honestly. Eric has been titled as being in serious condition. He has had so far one of two reconstruction surgeries, numerous broken bones, and a brain injury to Dr. Tim Gallagher when this woman, Jamie Lee Komorowski,

plowed into Sam and Eric. It pushed the golf cart 100 yards. Roll over, roll over, roll over. What would have caused the brain injury on the young groom? Well, that's a very good question. Typically what we see, and I'm looking at the picture of him laying in the hospital bed, and if you look at his eyes, you can see that his eyes, underneath his eyes are black and blue, something we would call raccoon eyes, typically what happens is that the skull and

the bones of the face have been fractured. And when the face and the skull are fractured, the shards of the bone, of the fractured bone actually penetrate into the brain itself. And that's what causes a lot of the injury. You know, I'm looking at a lot of the posts to Dr. Sherry Schwartz, forensic psychologist of Komorowski. And in almost every post I see, she's holding alcohol. This is the woman who refused to take a field sobriety test

after the fatal crash. Not accident. Crash. Here she is standing on a deck outside drinking alcohol. Here she is. And this is what she's posting of herself. Here she is dressed as Bud Lightyear in a pair of hot pants. Here she is drinking. I mean, everyone is related to alcohol. Every one

of these pictures. Explain that. Well, here's what we know about drivers who drive while intoxicated. Two thirds, more than two thirds tend to have alcoholism problems or drug abuse problems. They tend to have more than one DUI. Let me add something, Dr. Schwartz, you need to know this fact too. She posted a photo of herself dressed as Bud Lightyear, a play on the Toy Story character in tight shorts crop top with Bud Light boxes wrapped around her legs and ankles and the caption reads to infinity and be wronged in other words just drunk out of your mind well the other thing that we know is that these are individuals who are low in conscientiousness and high in antisocial characteristics such that they are unconcerned about consequences of their behavior.

And hearing about that particular post, right, with Bud Lightyear, what this tells me is this is someone who has incorporated as part of her identity the humor in having this relationship with alcohol, an unhealthy, clearly unhealthy relationship. And as someone who has previously been in legal trouble with a DUI, she's savvy enough to say, I'm not going to blow into a breathalyzer, which tells me that she had consciousness of mind to know that she shouldn't be driving. And this is Sydney Heiberger again with Queen City News. Let me jump in here. I just was going through her record and I do see at least three different speeding violations previously or two different speeding violations and one failure to use a turn or stop signal. She pled guilty to all of those, but I do not see a prior DUI. I think it was because she was underage.

It was 2018. Yes. Who is speaking right now? Is that Ms. Miller? Yes. Ms. Miller, on her adult record, we see a lot of speeding and other traffic violations but there seems to be evidence that there may be a prior DUI when she was a minor yes we saw another mugshot I I'm a drug and alcohol counselor so it's kind of crazy but um like I think that what we have here is a young lady that has been bailed out because she her family has money and is not

been held accountable for any of her poor choices that she's made and and when you continue to bail somebody out they're never going to learn and she has not suffered any consequences so she continues the same behavior. And unfortunately, it happens a lot. And a lot of my patients that I deal with, they've been enabled. And their parents take care of everything and fix it and trying to protect them, but they're not really protecting them because now my daughter's dead. You can find out about the GoFundMe that's been put together. It's GoFundMe Samantha Miller-Gone Too Soon. Ms. Miller, when you are alone, when you're back at your place, when you put your head to your pillow, do you feel Sam is with you?

What is your state of mind right now? I haven't been home yet, and I haven't been alone yet. And I can't even think of that. I'm not going to be okay if I'm home alone. So my daughter is here from Florida and going with me to Charlotte, and then we're coming back here and sticking right by me because I can't be alone. I always said,

if anything happens to one of my kids, I'm done. And my daughter Mandy made me promise the other day that that would not happen because she needs me. She does. She needs you so much. around the world across our country people need to hear your voice they need to hear your voice speaking out about what happened to sam and that somehow some way you may be able to stop it from happening even just one more time. Yeah.

I can't thank you enough for being with us today and representing Sam in such an incredible way. Your story has really touched all of our hearts. Thank you. If you have any information that can help the Folly Beach Police, dial 843-588-2433. Repeat, 843-588-2433. Our prayers go on for Sam's family and groom. Goodbye, friend. You're listening to an iHeart Podcast. goodbye friend