BERLIN TOWNSHIP, Mich. – “We were supposed to be planning a birthday party, not a funeral.”
That was the message from a family member who spoke during the arraignment for a Monroe woman who’s accused of killing two children and injuring at least 10 others by crashing into a building during a birthday party.
Marshella Marie Chidester, 66, of Monroe, was in court Tuesday, April 23, 2024, on eight charges, including two counts of second-degree murder.
Accusations against Chidester
Chidester is accused of drunkenly crashing her SUV into the Swan Boat Club in Berlin Township around 3 p.m. Saturday, April 20. The SUV came to rest about 25 feet inside the building after smashing through on the north side.
Surveillance video from a nearby home shows Chidester’s SUV speeding toward the boat club.
Siblings Alanah Phillips, 8, and Zayn Phillips, 5, were killed in the crash. Their older brother, mother, and seven other people were taken to the hospital with injuries.
Police said Chidester was drunk at the time of the crash because she had just been at a nearby tavern.
“There was a preliminary breath test done which indicated that her blood-alcohol level was significantly over the legal limit,” a Monroe County prosecutor said at the arraignment.
Officials said Chidester admitted at the crash scene that she had been drinking when she wasn’t supposed to.
Defense’s claims
Chidester’s attorney claims she only had one glass of wine that day, and that it was between 11 a.m. and noon -- about four hours before the crash. He said the only other item she ordered at the tavern was a bowl of chili.
The defense is claiming that Chidester has a history of “epileptic-type seizures” seizures dating back to November. Her attorney said one of those seizures is what caused the crash.
“Sometimes you have a seizure and your leg seizes up,” he said.
The defense attorney said Chidester is retired and lives with her husband “about 400 feet” away from the crash scene. He said she has never had any trouble with the law -- not even a speeding ticket.
The defense attorney said that at the time of the crash, she was not under doctor instructions not to drive, even though she was on medication for the seizures.
Bond dispute
The majority of Tuesday’s court proceedings centered on bond. Prosecutors asked for Chidester to be held on a $1.5 million bond, while the defense asked for it to be $100,000 with the conditions of home confinement and an alcohol monitor.
During the bond arguments, several people were allowed to speak.
Grandmother speaks over Zoom
The first person to speak up was the grandmother of the two children who were killed. She was following the arraignment virtually.
“She chose to drink, and those are my grand-babies,” the grandmother said. “She made that choice to get in that car and she chose to drink and drive, and she took my grand-babies from us.”
Aunt speaks inside courtroom
The only family member to speak from inside the courtroom was the children’s aunt.
Here’s what she said:
“What he had said about getting injections in her legs for something -- knowing that, with or without drinking, you’re still putting people in harm’s way, because with muscles and everything, you can’t control something. Why operate a vehicle knowing you’re taking medicine that drinking will affect it?
“I was there. I saw where my daughter, my mom, my sister, my nephew from the opposite side of the family, my sister’s three children -- we were supposed to be planning a birthday party for Zayn, not a funeral.
“Knowing you have medical conditions, you should never get behind a wheel, whether you are drinking or not -- taking medications, they tell you not to drink. But she still chose to drink. She still chose to get into that vehicle.
“I will never look at the month of April the same ever again. My birthday was a few days prior. The babies were just at my house. My niece, with her flawless, curly hair, loved to dance. My nephew -- he always hated that my truck was dirty. I cleaned my truck out just for him. He loved cracking jokes. Eminem was his idol.
“They walked into that birthday party having a fun time. They were sitting at that table, eating, and this woman crashed her car through this building, destroying all of our lives. Not just my family -- everyone else that was in that building.
“My nephew and my sister are still fighting for their lives today. I had to be the one to tell my sister her babies were gone when they removed her ventilator yesterday. She said, ‘How am I supposed to live without my babies?’
“Nobody should ever have to go to a birthday party thinking that they’re going to die. Medical history or not: Every medication tells you not to drink. She knew it. She shouldn’t have done it. I had to see my deceased niece and nephew. I had to see their very last moment before that car was removed.
“I saw it, and my sister can’t decide what she wants, and the babies, I can tell you right now, cannot have an open casket. It’s a horrible, traumatic thing. I cannot close my eyes at night without seeing the babies and what they look like.”
Father’s brother speaks over Zoom
The brother of the children’s father also spoke over Zoom.
Here’s what he said:
“This woman deliberately, without even hitting the brake, destroyed my brother’s life. Those were his babies. His little girl used to go to his basketball games, and now that little girl’s not going to be able to go see him. Their father, because a woman, who claims to have ties to her community, wants to drive and hit the gas even further, when she got to that parking lot, and destroyed multiple lives.
“My brother is in the hospital right now, praying that his little boy comes through, and he’s still got to tell his son that he lost his sister and brother. How is that right or how is that even fair? How is it even justified because the woman says that she’s got some type of medical issue?
“As my sister said, you take medicine for years. You’re an adult. You can read the label. It says, ‘Do not drink.’ You can’t sit here and tell me one drink would do that. You can’t. I’m a highly educated man. You can’t tell me that. There’s no justifying what she did to my family. There’s none. This will never, ever be right.
“There never is a world that anybody can sit here and say or she can say it was an accident. That was not an accident. I know what accidents look like. They happen all the time on the freeway. If she was not drunk, as people are claiming -- her house is three houses away from what she did. Why didn’t she just go home? Why didn’t she? It’s right there, three houses away from where she did that stuff that she did to my brother’s family -- three houses. Why didn’t she go home?
“So, you that’s defending her, you should feel ashamed for even trying to stick up for -- ‘oh, only one drink.’ One drink doesn’t do that, sir, and it never will.”
Another mother speaks
A woman whose children were at the boat club at the time of the crash spoke next. She was also attending the arraignment virtually.
“I drove there,” she said. “My three children were there, and whether you’re having a seizure or not, that was intentional. You couldn’t drive the way that those roads bend, and the way that you drive in there -- there is no way that that woman was not conscious in turning that vehicle.
“She aimed it right there, right at the bar where, probably, her husband should have been sitting. I don’t know what her intentions were, but I can tell you it was on purpose and it was intentional. You can tell. We all know it.”
Boat club member speaks
A member of the boat club spoke next over Zoom.
“During my 10 years of being a member of the boat club, most of the time I’ve seen her, she’s been highly intoxicated,” he said. “I’ve watched people try to walk her out the door dozens and dozens of times, and one of the things that aren’t brought up here is that she hit a vehicle down the road and a tree down the road.
“I believe that it wasn’t intentional, but I do believe it was a situation where she was trying to flee and run from what she had just done down the road, because she shouldn’t have been driving, and everybody knew that. (If) you’re a member of the boat club, you know this lady shouldn’t be driving, and I believe she was fleeing that scene.
“There’s a speed bump before you enter the parking lot to the boat club, as well as a runoff ditch that you’ve got to pass over with your vehicle. We all drive 10 mph through that area because of these, and it’s a narrow road. But I believe that she was fleeing from hitting the truck so that she wouldn’t get caught drunk driving, and in doing so, hit the speed bump, as well as the little ditch that’s 30 feet past that, and lost control of her vehicle.
“I don’t believe it’s intentional, but I do believe that, and I know, that she drinks a lot and should never get behind a wheel. And if you’re under that much medicine, as her attorney states, then even one glass of wine could potentially do you like this. And not only that: A lot of medications you’re not supposed to drive on.
“So whether it’s the alcohol or the medication or neither, this lady should never be behind a wheel. We’ve watched her take baby steps to get out of the place because she can barely walk, let alone get behind a wheel. For such a frail lady to cause such devastation in her car, I think that she shouldn’t be freed on bond because of this.
“I believe it’s decades of her drunk driving that just caught up to her, is what I believe, and decades of her driving under the influence of, whether it be pills or alcohol, and I would point toward alcohol, from my experience of knowing her.”
Bond decision
The judge sided with the prosecution and set bond at $1.5 million.
Chidester isn’t allowed to have alcohol or other substances. She can’t drive or commit any other crimes, if she’s released.
Full arraignment
You can watch the full arraignment here:
Injuries
Police said the 31-year-old mother of the children and their 11-year-old brother were both taken to the hospital in critical condition.
Three others were taken to the hospital in serious condition: an 18-year-old woman, a 16-year-old girl, and a 14-year-old boy.
Four women, ages 70, 66, 62, and 57, were taken to the hospital with minor injuries.
A 42-year-old man with minor injuries received medical treatment on his own, according to police.
At the time of the crash, police originally said 15 people had been injured. It’s unclear if that original number was too high or if there are more injuries on top of the 10 listed above.
Charges
Chidester is facing the following charges:
- Two counts of second-degree murder -- felonies with a maximum punishment of life in prison.
- Two counts of operating under the influence of liquor causing death -- felonies with a maximum punishment of 15 years in prison.
- Four counts of operating under the influence of liquor causing serious injury felonies with a maximum punishment of five years in prison.
Fundraiser for family
A GoFundMe has been set up for the family of the children who were killed. The fundraiser has been verified by the GoFundMe platform.
Click here if you would like to donate.
Next court dates
A probable cause conference for Chidester is scheduled for 9 a.m. April 30 at 9 a.m. It will be held virtually over Zoom.
The preliminary examination is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. May 6. It will be in person, the judge said.
