Stephanie Melgoza, from Illinois, was given 14 years in jail for her part in a DUI crash that killed two people with her hospital video viral
The accident happened on April 10, 2022, after Melgoza had been drinking all night and was going three times faster than the law allowed. Andrea Rosewicz and Paul Prowant, who were both trying to cross the street on foot, were killed in the accident.
The details of what happened are shocking, and the case has gotten a lot of attention because of the video that went viral and showed Melgoza laughing when he found out that the two people he had killed had died.
Stephanie Melgoza hospital video laughing after killing two in DUI Crash goes viral on Twitter and Reddit
Unreal.
24 year old Stephanie Melgoza got hammered at a bar then killed 2 people in a wreck.
This is from the officer’s body camera shortly after the incident: pic.twitter.com/IiftwDNYml— The Donut News Network 🍩 (@DonutNewsNetwrk) May 6, 2023
April 2022, Stephanie Melgoza’s car struck and killed Andrea Rosewicz and Paul Prowant.
April 27, 2023, she received a 14-year sentence for the DUI-related deaths.
She must serve at least 85% of her sentence, get credit for two days served, and have home confinement time served.… pic.twitter.com/olmRqeuSLw— Erika J (@Erikaj_05) May 2, 2023
On the video from the scene of the crime, police can be seen telling Melgoza, who was clearly drunk, that the two people who had been hurt had died. Melgoza is seen laughing when he hears this news, which shocks and disgusts the cops who come to help.
Melgoza was found guilty of driving under the influence while very drunk and driving very recklessly. She was found with weed, a smoking pipe, and a bottle of Tito’s vodka that had been opened. The cop who came to help Melgoza also said that he could smell alcohol on her.
Students protest after Stephanie Melgoza allowed to attend graduation
Stephanie Melgoza was a student at Bradley University in East Peoria when the crash happened. Students at Bradley University heard about the crash and held a funeral for Andrea Rosewicz and Paul Prowant.
They held a protest when they found out that Melgoza could still go to her graduation event even though she was facing charges. Melgoza was able to get her diploma, but she was not allowed to attend the event.
Melgoza’s lawyer, Kevin Sullivan, said that his client felt bad about what happened and wished to warn people about the dangers of driving drunk. Judge Tim Cusack said that drunk drivers needed to get harsh punishments to stop them from getting into more crashes. Cusack said that the system is built on punishment and rehabilitation, and that he had to find a balance between the two.
The families of the two people who were killed wanted Stephanie Melgoza to go to prison for at least 28 years. They said that the drunk driver who was found guilty made the choice to drink and drive that night, even though he knew the risks.
Stephanie Melgoza’s case shows the dangers of drunk driving
The accident has shown how dangerous it is to drive while drunk and how people who do this need to be punished more harshly. The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention say that one person dies every 50 minutes in the United States because of a drunk driver.
It’s important to hold drunk drivers responsible for what they do, but it’s also important to get the word out about how dangerous this behaviour is. Many groups, like Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), are trying to teach people about the dangers of drunk driving and push for stricter laws and punishments to stop more accidents.
In the case of Stephanie Melgoza, her actions led to the deaths of two people and left their families in a terrible state. Even though her sentence seems harsh, it is important to show that driving drunk is a serious crime with serious consequences. People need to be held responsible for their acts if we want to stop more tragedies caused by drunk driving.