MONROE COUNTY, Mich. – The trial for a woman accused of drunk driving and crashing her car through a birthday party, killing two children, in Monroe County continues Tuesday.
Marshella Chidester’s trial began on March 3, 2025.
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Here are some key details about the case:
- The deadly crash happened on April 20, 2024
- According to police, her blood alcohol level was more than twice the legal limit when she crashed into the Swan Boat Club in April 2024. Her lawyers argue she had one glass of wine.
- Two siblings, who were 8 and 4 years old, died in the crash, and several others were hurt. A birthday party was being held in the boat club at the time of the crash.
- Chidester was charged with two counts of second-degree murder, two counts of operating under the influence of liquor causing death and four counts of OUIL causing serious injury.
- If she is found guilty, Chidester could face life in prison.
Previous coverage: Emotional testimonies heard during first day of murder trial for Swan Boat Club crash
Here are the updates from Day 2 of the murder trial:
Court adjourns for the day
- 2:30 p.m. Tuesday
Court has adjourned for the day. More testimony was supposed to happen but will begin Wednesday.
Detective from Monroe County Sheriff’s Office testifies
- 2:07 p.m. Tuesday
Detective Joshua Motylinski from the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office testified he conducted a medical examiner investigation at the crash scene.
He testified the scene was a “total destruction” when he arrived.
He testified that Zayn was moved from under the car tire in the crash and was moved outside. He also said Alanah was wedged between the car and a door of the building. He testified both children died at the scene.
He testified Alanah’s cause of death was from multiple blunt force trauma injuries, and Zayn’s cause of death was also from multiple blunt force trauma injuries.
While executing a search warrant, he found a receipt from the restaurant Chidester was at before the crash. He learned she had some food and a glass of wine at the restaurant.
Mother of children killed in crash testifies
- 1:52 p.m. Tuesday
Mariah Dodds, the mother of the two children killed in the crash, testified Tuesday.
She recalled the last moments before the crash when she gave cake pops to Zayn and Alanah, and she woke up in the hospital. She did not remember a crash happening.
While she was in the hospital, she recalled she was going in and out of consciousness while tubes were in her throat and machines were surrounding her.
“Where’s my kids?” she remembered asking when she woke up and learned what happened. She testified that’s when she learned two of her children died.
She was released from the hospital four days after the crash. However, she needed to use a walker to move around, she couldn’t sit straight up or lay down.
She had a punctured lung, broken ribs, broken ribs, hematoma on her pelvis, chin was busted open, multiple mouth injuries, nerve damage throughout her face as a result from the crash.
She was sent to out-patient therapy to fully recover.
She testified her third child was hospitalized from the crash, as well. He had multiple broken bones throughout his body from the crash, as well as a punctured lung and a gash on his head. He was required to have surgery on his legs. Dodds testified it looks “many months” for her son to walk again.
During cross examinations, Chidester’s attorney began crying and told Dodds he lost his son recently as well. No questions were asked to Dodds during the cross examination.
Family member of birthday party host testifies
- 1:49 p.m. Tuesday
Leah Stith testified she was at the Swan Boat Club on April 20, 2024, to celebrate her cousin’s birthday.
She recalled when the crash happened, she lost consciousness and couldn’t move when she woke back up. She received multiple injuries as a result of the crash, including broken ribs.
Victim injured in Swan Boat Club crash testifies
- 1:37 p.m. Tuesday
Diane Medina testified she was at the birthday party the day of the crash. She said she is friends with the mother who threw the birthday party.
“I get choked up thinking about it,” she said as she began describing the day of the crash.
“It was any kid’s dream birthday party, it was magical,” said Medina, recalling how the party looked before the crash.
She testified the moment the crash happened and how she was thrown to the ground from the impact of the crash.
“It was silent and then chaos,” she recalled.
She testified her pelvis was broken in six places, she had internal bleeding, a blood transfusion, a concussion, a broken nose, a hematoma on her arm, and a fractured femur as a result of the crash.
Lieutenant from the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office takes the stand
- 1:15 p.m. Tuesday
Lieutenant Brian Quinn testified he analyzed Chidester’s vehicle’s event data recorder (EDR) following the crash. EDRs help understand how a car was functioning during a crash.
Quinn testified that the car’s EDR noted it crashed while in reverse, but airbags did not deploy. He also said a second crash was recorded moments later, noting the gas pedal was inconsistently pressed to the floor just moments before the second crash and the car was going 44 mph.
Defense files motion to suppress statements
- 1:05 p.m. Tuesday
Chidester’s attorney filed a motion during the trial requesting to suppress statements that were made without a lawyer present. He claimed there were statements made from the sheriff’s office without Chidester’s lawyer present.
Prosecutors argue there’s no evidence presented to court to support his motion.
The judge said this motion is a pretrial motion, making this motion denied. And the communication from the sheriff’s office and the court had proper paper work filed.
Court adjourns for lunch
- 11:46 a.m. Tuesday
Court has been adjourned until 1:15 p.m. for lunch
Deputy from the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office takes the stand
- 11:36 a.m. Tuesday
Deputy Burkhart testified he responded to the Swan Boat Club crash site after investigating a separate crash that day. He said he was present when the car was being removed from the building and followed it to a tow yard. Before the car was removed, he took photos of the scene.
Photos of Chidester’s car at the tow yard were shown in the courtroom. Burkhart serves as a technician with the sheriff’s office to help investigate car crashes. The car had significant damage on the front and the windshield mostly damaged.
Detective from Monroe County Sheriff’s Office takes the stand
- 11:10 a.m. Tuesday
Detective Sergeant Jeff Hooper testified he was called on the day of the crash to investigate the scene.
When he arrived at the Swan Boat Club, he said Chidester was not there anymore, as she was with other law enforcement at this time.
Hooper testified he executed a search warrant at Chidester’s home and the surrounding area to find surveillance video days following the crash.
Surveillance videos were released in court showing Chidester leaving her house and getting into her car the day of the crash. Her car was seen pulling out of the driveway, crashing into her neighbor’s truck, then speeding out of frame. Hooper testified this was recorded just moments before she crashed into the Swan Boat Club.
Lieutenant from the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office akes the stand
- 11:03 a.m. Tuesday
Lieutenant Ryan Sottioe testified he was called in the day of the crash to use a drone at the scene. He was instructed to take photos of the scene using the drone.
Photos he took of the crash scene were shown in court.
Detective from Monroe County Sheriff’s Office takes the stand
- 10:55 a.m. Tuesday
Detective Marjorie Martin testified she was called in on the day of the crash to investigate the scene at the Swan Boat Club. She was in charge of taking photos of the scene for evidence purposes.
Deputy from the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office takes the stand
- 10:37 a.m. Tuesday
Deputy Cody Karena testified he responded to the crash site at the Swan Boat Club in 2024. He recalls the scene as “chaotic.”
Karena’s bodycam footage was shown in court, where he read Chidester her Miranda rights. This footage was previously questioned before trial. Chidester’s defense attorney previously claimed the line of questioning confused her.
In the video, she initially said “no, I’m good,” when Karena asked her if she wished to speak to him. Karena said he asked again to clarify her answer, as he said her answer was confusing. Her defense attorney claimed previously the statements made to Karena should be suppressed in trial because she originally said no. The judge denied this request, saying the deputy asking for clarification is admissible because when Karena asked again, Chidester in the video agreed to speak with him.
During the trial in cross examination, Chidester’s attorney claimed she may not have been in the right mindset to answer the questions from Karena when he initially asked them about 30 minutes following the crash, as she may have been disoriented from the impact.
Karena testified that she seemed to have collected her thoughts when he questioned her but seemed drunk. He also testified she was not slurring her words while he was talking to her, and she did not seem to be shaken up after the crash.
Deputy from the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office takes the stand
- 10:35 a.m. Tuesday
Deputy Dominick Flint testified on Tuesday he worked with Deputy Schmidt on the OWI investigation into the crash at the Swan Boat Club.
Court resumes trial after break
- 10:34 a.m. Tuesday
Court has resumed trial following a brief break.
Court adjourns for morning break
- 10:12 a.m. Tuesday
Court has adjourned until 10:30 a.m.
Deputy from the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office takes the stand
- 8:35 a.m. Tuesday
Deputy Steven Schmidt testified he responded to the crash at the Swan Boat Club.
He said they received a report of a suspected drunk driver when he responded to the crash, so he began an OWI investigation.
He was told Chidester had neuropathy when he began the OWI investigation, so he testified he accommodated her condition while conducting the field sobriety test by not having her try the balancing portion and the walk and turn portion of the test. He also testified Chidester wasn’t able to focus as he asked her to follow his finger moving back and forth.
Schmidt testified Chidester was able to recite A-Z completely. He also said she had trouble counting backward from 100.
He testified he believed at the time she was a suspected drunk driver and placed her into custody.
Schmidt also explained to the jury the process of getting her blood drawn for the OWI investigation.
He also testified he had a body-worn camera recording the entire time of the OWI investigation, but he left the video on mute by mistake.
His bodycam footage was shown in court on Tuesday, which showed the process he conducted in the OWI investigation at the hospital where Chidester was staying following her arrest.
Chidester’s attorney questioned Schmidt’s process of the blood draw, claiming it could have been done improperly, during a cross examination.
Frenchtown Fire Department paramedic takes the stand
- 8:25 a.m. Tuesday
Captain John Debarr, a paramedic from the Frenchtown Fire Department, testified he was one of the first to respond to the crash scene.
Debarr said he checked Zayn Phillips' pulse when he was at the scene, by the time he arrived Zayn was already extricated from under the car. He testified his pulse was weak. Zayn later died form his injuries.
He also saw Alanah Phillips, Zayn’s sister, still under the car, and said she had died from the impact of the crash.
