CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC/Gray News/AP) – A woman who admitted to drinking and who was driving well over twice the speed limit when she smashed into a golf cart, killing a bride who had just got married at a South Carolina beach, was sentenced Monday to 25 years in prison.

Jamie Lee Komoroski was sentenced to 25 years in prison, after pleading guilty to one count of felony DUI, two counts of DUI causing great bodily injury or death and one count of reckless homicide.

Judge Deadra Jefferson sentenced her to 10 years for the reckless homicide charge, to 15 years for the two DUI involving great bodily injury charges and 25 years to the charge of felony DUI with death.

Because the sentences are concurrent, she faces a total of 25 years in prison, Jefferson said.

Also hurt in the 2023 crash was the groom, Aric Hutchinson, who cried in court as he recalled the last moments he spent with Samantha Miller — some of their only moments as husband and wife.

“On the golf cart, she told me she didn’t want the night to end and I kissed her on the forehead and then the next thing I remember is waking up in the hospital,” Hutchinson said.

Police said Komoroski drank at several bars on April 28, 2023, and was driving 65 mph on a narrow Folly Beach road with a speed limit of 25 mph when she slammed into the golf cart leaving a wedding. Her blood-alcohol level was 0.26%, which is more than three times the legal limit to drive.

The 34-year-old bride died still wearing her wedding dress. The groom suffered a brain injury and numerous broken bones. The cart was thrown 100 yards by the crash.

“I feel like the punishment fits the crime,” Hutchinson said after the sentencing. “I do think she’s sorry. However, that doesn’t change the fact that Sam’s not here, my wife’s not here, the family we planned, all of our injuries. So that’ll take some time for sure.”

After pleading guilty, Komoroski said she realized now she was addicted to alcohol and selfishly didn’t care how her actions affected others. She promised to spend the rest of her life helping addicts and warning of the dangers of drinking and driving. She said she was “devastated, deeply ashamed and sorry” for what she did.

“I wish I could go back and undo this terrible tragedy. But I cannot. I will live the rest of my life with intense regret for what happened that night,” she said.

She said all her work will be dedicated to Miller’s memory.

“I pray God stands by the side of my victims and their families and loved ones for the rest of their lives,” Komoroski said.

Family members speak to judge ahead of sentencing

Before the judge imposed the sentence, relatives of both Miller and Hutchinson addressed the court. Members of Komoroski’s family and her supporters also spoke to the judge.

Benjamin Garrett told the court he was driving the golf cart on the night of the crash. Garrett said his only job for the wedding was to drive the newlyweds back to where they were staying, something that haunts him to this day.

“It was my only job and I didn’t get to complete it,” he said.

Garrett was also seriously injured in the crash. He said to this day, he thinks about whether he could have done anything differently during the ride that could have spared Miller’s life.

Hutchinson said he sees more doctors and therapists than he can count because of his physical injuries and the mental anguish of the crash, and that he thinks about it every single day.

“I wish I had died that night. I wish I had seen it coming. I’d have jumped off the golf cart so you would only have run me over,” Hutchinson said.

Hutchinson won $863,000 in legal settlements from three bars that served Komoroski as well as her insurance firm and the company she rented her car from.

Before the sentencing, Miller’s father told Komoroski he was disgusted that she appeared to never take responsibility. He told her she could apologize, but he wouldn’t listen to a word.

“The rest of my life I’m going to hate you and when I arrive in hell and you come there, I will open the door for you,” Brad Warner said. “You have ruined so many people’s lives.”

Copyright 2024 WCSC via Gray Local Media, Inc. All rights reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.