No bond for drunk driver who hit, killed bride on golf cart

The woman accused of killing a bride when she drunkenly slammed her vehicle into a golf cart carrying a newlywed couple away from their wedding reception will remain behind bars until the trial.

Jamie Lee Komoroski was denied bond on Tuesday, with Circuit Judge Michael Nettles dubbing her a flight risk and potential threat to the community. He gave prosecutors until March 2024 to bring her case to trial. Should they fail to do so, Komoroski will be allowed to be released on a $150,000 surety bond, he ruled.

“This is certainly a very tragic situation for all concerned,” Nettles said after delivering his decision.

Komoroski is facing charges of reckless vehicular homicide and three counts of driving under the influence causing death or great bodily injury in connection with the crash that claimed the life of Samantha Hutchinson.

Hutchinson and her new husband, Aric, exchanged vows during a ceremony on Folly Beach, N.C., near Charleston, on April 28. Later the same night, Komoroski plowed her rental car into a golf cart taking the newlyweds away from their wedding festivities. The 34-year-old bride was pronounced dead at the scene, while her new husband and two other relatives also in the vehicle were injured.

Police said Komoroski was traveling at twice the speed limit when she struck the slow-moving golf cart. Her blood alcohol content at the time also exceeded three times the legal limit, according to a toxicology report.

In a wrongful death suit filed back in May, Samantha’s widower accused four establishments of serving “copious amounts of alcohol” to Komoroski despite the fact that she became “visibly intoxicated” while barhopping with her new coworkers.

With News Wire Services