MONROE COUNTY, Mich. – The Monroe woman found guilty of crashing into a birthday party, killing two children, in April 2024, is expected to be sentenced on Thursday.
Marshella Chidester was found guilty on all nine counts after driving drunk and crashing her car through a birthday party in Monroe County.
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The crash happened at the Swan Boat Club on April 20, 2024. Siblings Zayn and Alanah Phillips, who were 8 and 4 years old, were killed in the crash, and multiple others were injured.
Chidester was charged with two counts of second-degree murder, two counts of operating under the influence of liquor causing death and five counts of OUI causing serious injury.
Her trial began on March 3, 2025, and lasted until Thursday, when the jury began deliberations. It only took a few hours before the jury returned with a guilty verdict.
She is scheduled to be sentenced on May 15, 2025, at 3 p.m.
