MONROE COUNTY, Mich. – The jury has reached a verdict in the trial of Marshella Chidester, the woman accused of drunk driving and crashing her car through a birthday party, killing two children, in Monroe County.
The jury returned just before 4 p.m. on Thursday, March 6, 2025, and found Chidester guilty on all nine counts.
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.
She was charged with two counts of second-degree murder, two counts of operating under the influence of liquor causing death and five counts of OUIL causing serious injury.
Her trial began on March 3, 2025, and lasted until Thursday, when the jury began deliberations.
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