Trial for fatal birthday party crash at Swan Boat Club to stay in Monroe County
MONROE, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) - Court proceedings involving charges from a fatal crash into a Berlin Township clubhouse during a child's birthday party will remain in Monroe County.
A change in venue request was denied Friday during a pretrial hearing held with Monroe County Circuit Court Judge Daniel White.
The case involves a crash on the afternoon of April 20 at Swan Boat Club. A vehicle smashed 25 feet into the building, striking party attendees and resulting in what Monroe County Sheriff Troy Goodnough described at the time as an "extremely chaotic" scene.
Two children, Zayn Phillips and Alanah Phillips, two siblings who attended Flat Rock Community Schools, were declared dead at the scene. Several others who were at the party were injured.
In the days after the crash, Marshella Chidester was charged with two counts of second-degree murder, two counts of operating while intoxicated causing a death, and four counts of operating while intoxicated causing serious injury. In addition to the deaths, the charges reflect serious injuries to two other victims.
The second-degree murder charges carry a maximum sentence of life in prison.
The legal limit for blood alcohol content in Michigan is 0.08. During an earlier court hearing, a Monroe County Sheriff's Office deputy testified that Chidester's blood alcohol content that day was 0.18.
Early in the investigation, the Monroe County Sheriff's Office said Chidester may have just left a nearby bar before the crash happened.
During Friday's hearing, White heard a discussion regarding the availability of two potential witnesses for the defense. But the main request from defense attorney Bill Colovos involved a venue change, or moving the trial outside Monroe County. The defense cited media coverage of the case when submitting that motion.
White responded with a quick summary of local news reports on the case; and argued that potential jurors can be aware of a situation and still remain impartial during a trial.
"While the coverage does detail some of the criminal allegations here, it hasn't been inflammatory, it hasn't been prejudicial," he said about the news reports.
The judge also said during two previous high-profile cases in Monroe County that he presided over in recent years, both involving murder charges, he was still able to seat a jury and keep the proceedings at the Monroe County Courthouse.
The next scheduled hearing in this case is a Walker hearing on Feb. 10, which is an evidentiary hearing.
