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July 23rd 2009:
I'm tired....
I'm tired of smiling and pretending I am okay....i'm not okay...
I'm tired of saying the things I think people WANT to hear....I'm not here to make
you feel better...It's not your job to make me feel better either.
No, I don't expect pitty or special treatment. I just hope that people understand...I
lost a child, that hurts like hell, it will always hurt like hell. I will never be the
person I was before she passed, That person is dead, she died with samantha.
Understand that the only reason I go to bed at night and wake again in the
morning is to bring me one day closer to ending this unbearable heartache, one
day closer to seeing Samantha again.
Understand that I feel I don't deserve anything good or any happiness.
Understand that I feel I failed as a Mother.
The best thing you can do for me (or someone like me) is to understand that
even if you think we need to be getting out, doing things, moving on....we're
most content doing what we are doing...sitting in our room, lost in the tv,
computer or books...away from the rest of the world....just try to accept us the
way we are and not change us to make YOU feel better.
The last 3+ years of pretending just to make everyone around me feel at ease
has been exhausting for me...and I just can't do it anymore...
July 20th 2009
After 3 years of growing my hair for Sammy, I finally cut it off and donated it to
locks of love in her memory.
****UPDATE****
Thursday March 12th 2009
We went before the court again today to hear Kellie's motion for home
confinement.
She was denied and withdrew the motion.
Judge Pfeiffer stood firm on his original sentence.
I am grateful we have had the same Judge from the start. He has been amazing.
He has always taken our family and our needs into consideration.
I am thankful for his being sympathetic and fair.
As I have said before, no amount of time given Kellie will bring Samantha back
but it does give us a sense of justice and allows us to begin the healing process
and move on, learning how to live without Samantha. To put the horrific
memories behind us and focus on those happy memories we have of Samantha.
Thank you Judge Pfeiffer.
*********************************************************************************************
Pawtucket woman withdraws plea for early release
4:44 PM Thu, Mar 12, 2009 | Permalink
Katie Mulvaney Email
PROVIDENCE -- The Pawtucket woman serving six years for driving drunk in the
crash that killed 16-year-old Samantha Beaudette today withdrew her request
for early release.
Kellie Woodbine, 30, last June pleaded no contest to drunken driving and
reckless driving, both death resulting, in the late 2005 on the Pawtucket S-curve
of Route 95 that killed her teenage passenger, Samantha.
Superior Court Judge Mark A. Pfeiffer sentenced her to 15 years, with 6 to
serve, last September.
Woodbine did not appear in court yesterday. Her lawyer, Steven D. DiLibero,
said she had had concerns about not getting the proper medical treatment for
the serious burns she suffered in the crash. She is doing well and has another
surgery scheduled within the next 60 to 90 days, he said.
Assistant Attorney General Stephen A. Regine said that any motion for early
release or credit for time spent on home confinement should be denied.
Woodbine, he said, has had one surgery and is receiving outstanding care at
the Adult Correctional Institutions.
Samantha was supposed to be staying overnight at a friend's house. Instead,
she and the friend -- who was dating the son of Woodbine's boyfriend -- snuck
off to a party in Woodbine's apartment on Broadway in Pawtucket.
Shortly after midnight, Woodbine ran out of cigarettes. She borrowed a friend's
Chevy Avalanche and got Beaudette to accompany her to the store.
She was traveling 96 mph on Route 95 north when she lost control of the SUV,
struck a bridge abutment and landed on the shoulder, according to Regine. She
had a blood-alcohol level of .246 at the time of the crash -- more than three
times the legal limit.
*********************************************************************************************
Kellie went back before the Judge today (1/8/09)
She is asking for a reduced sentence of home confinement!
This from a woman who somewhere around 3 months ago stood before the
Judge reading her statement in which she (tearfully) said she would accept ANY
punishment he saw fit.
I had hoped her statement was sincere but it is now clear to me she said what
she thought the Judge wanted to hear in hopes of a lesser punishment.
My daughter is GONE! she lost the rest of her life! she was only 16! She had
many wonderful years ahead of her which Kellie stole from her!
And Kellie can not serve a lousy 6 years in jail?
We go back to court on this matter on March 11th and I hope that any family and
friends who can be present will be there and show their support for us.
We can not let this happen! Drunk drivers who kill already get off way too easy.
Just when me and my family thought we had some sort of closure, she rips the
wounds open again.
*********************
Our Legal battle is finally over. Kellie has been sentenced to 25 years. She'll
serve 6 of those years and the remaining on probation.
I am satisfied with the Judges decision. This was never about revenge, it has
always been about a crime that was committed and a punishment that would be
fitting. No person can commit a crime and expect not to be held accountable.
I addressed Kellie directly in court and told her that one day I need to forgive
her. Not for her, not for me...but for Samantha. Samantha would want that, it's
just the kind of person Samantha was.
I also hope one day when Kellie and I are both ready that we can meet and
perhaps even one day pair up as a team and speak publicly about our
experience. I think our story needs to be heard and maybe, just maybe we can
prevent it from happening to even one person.
I having had nearly 3 years to sort out all my feelings have decided to put my
anger, hatred and rage behind me and focus that negative energy on something
positive.
I did struggle with that a bit after reading some of the not so kind things Kellie
and her Mother had to say about me but once I had time to process it I let their
comments go knowing that they are untrue and again put my mind on the path
of positive thinking.
I know some people will be conflicted about how I have decided to deal with all
this...
Some will say "How can you even think of working with this woman who killed
your child?"
All I can say is...Nothing will ever change what is. Sammy is gone and all the
hate, anger and rage in the world will not give her back to me. And like it or not
my family and Kellie's family are forever connected by this tragedy. So if
together we can prevent even one parent from having to suffer the way I have,
well then, I feel it's the absolute right thing to do.
Others will say (and have said) I am strong, courageous, forgiving...
I say to you....
When you see my strength, my courage, my forgiveness....it's not me...it is
Samantha. I try to tackle each challenge in a way that would make her proud. I
think to myself, "How would Sammy handle this? What would she do? What
would she say?" and I do exactly that...
Samantha is my driving force.
I want to thank everyone for your love, prayers, and kind words of
encouragement. It really has meant so much to me and helped me through this
trying time.
Sharon
Driver gets six years in highway fatality
on 09-13-2008 05:25
By VINAYA SAKSENA
PROVIDENCE — A Cumberland woman has been sentenced to six years
imprisonment for her role in an accident that killed her teenage passenger and
left the defendant disfigured.
Michael Healey, a spokesman for Attorney General Patrick Lynch, said that
Kellie Woodbine was sentenced Friday to a total term of 25 years, with six years
to serve and 19 years suspended with probation, by Judge Mark Pfeiffer. The
sentence stems from a December 2005 crash that killed 16-year-old Samantha
Beaudette.
“Broken down, Woodbine got 15 years, with six years to serve and nine years
suspended with probation, on count one, DUI-death resulting; and 10 years
suspended with probation on count two, driving to endanger-death resulting, but
consecutive to count one,” Healey explained in an e-mail.
It is alleged that Beaudette was a passenger in a sport utility vehicle driven by
Woodbine when Woodbine lost control of the vehicle in the area of the
Pawtucket s-curves on I-95 north.
The accident reportedly occurred after the pair left a party so Woodbine could
get cigarettes. According to Healey, medical reports following the crash put
Woodbine’s blood alcohol count (BAC) at 0.246, three times higher than the
legal limit of .08.
In December 2006, Woodbine was indicted on charges of DUI death resulting
and driving to endanger, death resulting, according to judicial records. It has
been alleged that the borrowed SUV she was driving had been traveling at
nearly 100 mph.
Woodbine initially pleaded not guilty to the charges in January 2007. However,
court records show that she changed her plea on both charges to no contest on
June 25 of this year. The Associated Press reported that Woodbine indicated
any punishment would be acceptable to her.
According to Healey, Woodbine was ordered by Judge Pfeiffer to perform 500
hours of community service upon release from prison. Her driver’s license will be
revoked for five years after her release. He also ordered her to undergo
treatment and counseling for alcohol abuse.
Samantha Beaudette’s mother, Sharon Acorn, has started a Web site in her
daughter’s memory, at www.samanthabeaudette.com. She had previously
started a Web log in which she remembered her daughter and discussed
Woodbine’s trial, with the first entry posted in June 2006. Acorn has been
particularly vocal on issues raised by her daughter’s death, including roadside
memorials, for which she has been advocating for greater leniency by local
governments.
Driver in fatal crash sentenced to 6 years
01:00 AM EDT on Saturday, September 13, 2008
By John Castellucci
Journal Staff Writer
Members of Samantha Beaudette’s family wear T-shirts in her honor yesterday
in Superior Court.
The Providence Journal / John Freidah
PROVIDENCE –– The woman responsible for the fiery crash that caused the
death of 16-year-old Samantha Beaudette was sentenced yesterday to six years
in prison.
Kellie Woodbine — who pleaded no contest to drunken driving, death resulting,
and reckless driving, death resulting — was sentenced after telling Superior
Court Judge Mark A. Pfeiffer that she would accept any punishment in the hope
that it would bring the victim’s mother, Sharon Achorn, peace of mind.
“I’m sorry. I never intended this to happen,” she said, turning to Achorn and
addressing her directly in a courtroom packed with Beaudette’s family members.
“We became friends quick. We went for a simple ride to the store,” she said of
herself and Samantha. “No one expected such a tragedy.”
Woodbine, 30, who was disfigured by the burns that she suffered in the crash,
said that she continues to experience guilt and self-loathing. “The scars that you
see on the outside –– the ones on the inside are worse.”
But Achorn, who spoke before Woodbine did, said Woodbine had to be
punished, if only to “make things a little more right,” she told Pfeiffer.
“I don’t ask this out of hatred. I ask this out of justice for my child,” Achorn said,
asking Pfeiffer to impose a sentence of eight years –– the maximum possible
under the plea agreement.
“I need to be able to forgive you one day,” she said, addressing Woodbine. “Not
for you, not for me but for Samantha, because it’s what she would have done.”
The Dec. 30, 2005, accident that caused Samantha’s death occurred between
Exits 29 and 30 of Route 95 –– the notorious Pawtucket S-curve. Samantha was
supposed to be staying overnight at a friend’s house. Instead, she and the
friend –– who was dating the son of Woodbine’s boyfriend –– snuck off to a
party in Woodbine’s apartment on Broadway in Pawtucket.
Shortly after midnight, Woodbine ran out of cigarettes. She borrowed her
boyfriend’s sister’s Chevy Avalanche and got Beaudette to accompany her to
the store.
She was traveling 96 mph on Route 95 north when she lost control of the
borrowed SUV, struck a bridge abutment and landed on the shoulder, Assistant
Attorney General Stephen A. Regine said.
“The entire vehicle was engulfed in flames. It rotated to the point where
Samantha was trapped inside,” Regine said.
He said Woodbine, a functioning alcoholic who told her probation officer she
woke up drunk every morning and drank herself to sleep every night, had a
blood alcohol level of 0.246 percent –– three times the legal limit –– when the
crash happened.
Beaudette died in Rhode Island Hospital of the injuries she suffered. Her aunt,
Linda Baez, said she was so severely burned, it was impossible to find a healthy
part of her body to touch.
Another aunt, Patricia Maynard, who was unable to go to the hospital, said that
other family members told her afterward she was lucky: She has the benefit of
remembering what Samantha, a pretty Darlington Braves cheerleader, looked
like before she was burned.
“It’s hard to recall a case as horrible as this,” Judge Pfeiffer said, before
pronouncing sentence.
Pfeiffer said he believed Woodbine’s remorse is genuine: “I do believe you that if
you could trade places, you would.”
He said he wasn’t sure whether imposing stiff sentences in cases of drunken
driving, death resulting, does in fact deter others from getting behind the wheel
of a car while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
But he has a responsibility to take the deterrent effect into consideration,
Pfeiffer said, and to give Samantha’s family a sense of closure.
So he denied defense lawyer Steven D. DiLibero’s request for a continuance or
a stay of execution. (DiLiberio wanted Woodbine, who has already undergone
multiple skin graft surgeries, to remain under house arrest until after she has
another operation on Oct. 3.)
Pfeiffer also disregarded DiLibero’s request for a three-year sentence. He
sentenced Woodbine to 15 years in state custody, with nine of the years on
probation and the other six behind bars.
Outside court, Beaudette’s mother was asked whether the sentence had
brought her peace of mind, as Woodbine hoped.
“Nothing’s going to bring peace to me. My daughter’s gone,” Achorn answered.
The sentence was fair, Achorn said, and she was satisfied with it.
“But there will never be peace. Never,” she said.
I recently began watching the news again. I had given up tv for a long time after
Sammy died because the news is just too depressing and I never knew when
they would pop Sammy's story on again.
I've noticed more and more that under age drinking and driving is a big issue...
Reported all over the news, in the papers, people pissing and moaning about it
yet doing nothing to make a difference.
If pissing and moaning about it could change it, well hell the problem would be
solved by now.
I think the biggest issue is that different laws, rules and consequences apply for
minors.
If an adult drinks and drives and kills someone, they will be punished...almost
without question serve time in jail.
A minor however generally walks away with a slap on the wrist.
The parents of the victim unable to witness any legal proceedings because the
driver is a minor....hey, after all...the murderer has rights!
So what if that minor child took the life of your minor child. The government and
our legal system don't give a shit about your childs rights. Once your child dies
there are no rights.
I personally think that is bullshit.
Our children did not ask to die. The drunk driver stripped our children of their
very basic right to life, yet their rights are protected.
They break the law, they kill....and they are protected.
I've met several parents of children who were killed by an under age drunk
driver.
One driver in particular killed 2 children...
The driver got a slap on the wrist and nothing more...he'll never serve any time
for what he did.
The families of the victims are serving life sentences imposed on them by this
under age driver, a life without their child, a life of heartache, a life of suffering...
The driver....in time will forget and move on and live a long happy life, marry,
have children, grandchildren one day...
Something our children will never have the chance to do.
I personally feel that 16 years old is too young to be trusted with driving a motor
vehicle.
It's a huge responsibility. You not only have your own life in your hands but the
lives of everyone on the streets around you...drivers and pedestrians.
I think that the laws and consequences should apply to all drivers alike,
regardless of your age.
And if the government wont consider that then they need to consider raising the
driving age to 18 at the very least. That would certainly take a huge bite out of
the alcohol related accidents.
Another thing which needs to be looked at is the way drunk drivers are charged.
I'm sorry...I feel anyone who has a drivers license and drinks makes the
conscious decision to drink and drive before they ever take that first sip.
If you didn't take a cab to the location where you'll be drinking, designate a
driver or hand someone your keys and say "I'll be drinking and wont need these
tonight" You have consciously decided you may drive.
It's murder!
You take a life, in some cases several lives and because you were in an
"Incapacitated state" You only serve 5 or 10 years if that....PLEASE!
The person who was killed was handed the death sentence. For what?
They were innocent victims.
I also think we all need to get off our asses and stop talking about the problem
and do something to make a difference.
If anyone would like to contact me about this, if you have any thoughts or ideas...
I am more then happy to hear from you.
I can't help but wonder...You know those signs we see all over the place?
YOU DRINK, YOU DRIVE, YOU LOSE....
Those signs? I wonder, were they just put there to give us a false sense that
they are actually doing something to battle this problem? Or is there fine print on
the sign somewhere that those words only apply if you are over 18?
Rhode Island Government officials....STEP UP TO THE PLATE AND DO
SOMETHING ABOUT THIS PROBLEM!
On an election year you all talk a good game and make wonderful empty
promises about the things you know you will never do....well while your blowing
smoke up our asses our children are dying! Do something now....Future voters
lives are at stake (perhaps that will get you motivated)
I'm tired....
I'm tired of smiling and pretending I am okay....i'm not okay...
I'm tired of saying the things I think people WANT to hear....I'm not here to make
you feel better...It's not your job to make me feel better either.
No, I don't expect pitty or special treatment. I just hope that people understand...I
lost a child, that hurts like hell, it will always hurt like hell. I will never be the
person I was before she passed, That person is dead, she died with samantha.
Understand that the only reason I go to bed at night and wake again in the
morning is to bring me one day closer to ending this unbearable heartache, one
day closer to seeing Samantha again.
Understand that I feel I don't deserve anything good or any happiness.
Understand that I feel I failed as a Mother.
The best thing you can do for me (or someone like me) is to understand that
even if you think we need to be getting out, doing things, moving on....we're
most content doing what we are doing...sitting in our room, lost in the tv,
computer or books...away from the rest of the world....just try to accept us the
way we are and not change us to make YOU feel better.
The last 3+ years of pretending just to make everyone around me feel at ease
has been exhausting for me...and I just can't do it anymore...
July 20th 2009
After 3 years of growing my hair for Sammy, I finally cut it off and donated it to
locks of love in her memory.
****UPDATE****
Thursday March 12th 2009
We went before the court again today to hear Kellie's motion for home
confinement.
She was denied and withdrew the motion.
Judge Pfeiffer stood firm on his original sentence.
I am grateful we have had the same Judge from the start. He has been amazing.
He has always taken our family and our needs into consideration.
I am thankful for his being sympathetic and fair.
As I have said before, no amount of time given Kellie will bring Samantha back
but it does give us a sense of justice and allows us to begin the healing process
and move on, learning how to live without Samantha. To put the horrific
memories behind us and focus on those happy memories we have of Samantha.
Thank you Judge Pfeiffer.
*********************************************************************************************
Pawtucket woman withdraws plea for early release
4:44 PM Thu, Mar 12, 2009 | Permalink
Katie Mulvaney Email
PROVIDENCE -- The Pawtucket woman serving six years for driving drunk in the
crash that killed 16-year-old Samantha Beaudette today withdrew her request
for early release.
Kellie Woodbine, 30, last June pleaded no contest to drunken driving and
reckless driving, both death resulting, in the late 2005 on the Pawtucket S-curve
of Route 95 that killed her teenage passenger, Samantha.
Superior Court Judge Mark A. Pfeiffer sentenced her to 15 years, with 6 to
serve, last September.
Woodbine did not appear in court yesterday. Her lawyer, Steven D. DiLibero,
said she had had concerns about not getting the proper medical treatment for
the serious burns she suffered in the crash. She is doing well and has another
surgery scheduled within the next 60 to 90 days, he said.
Assistant Attorney General Stephen A. Regine said that any motion for early
release or credit for time spent on home confinement should be denied.
Woodbine, he said, has had one surgery and is receiving outstanding care at
the Adult Correctional Institutions.
Samantha was supposed to be staying overnight at a friend's house. Instead,
she and the friend -- who was dating the son of Woodbine's boyfriend -- snuck
off to a party in Woodbine's apartment on Broadway in Pawtucket.
Shortly after midnight, Woodbine ran out of cigarettes. She borrowed a friend's
Chevy Avalanche and got Beaudette to accompany her to the store.
She was traveling 96 mph on Route 95 north when she lost control of the SUV,
struck a bridge abutment and landed on the shoulder, according to Regine. She
had a blood-alcohol level of .246 at the time of the crash -- more than three
times the legal limit.
*********************************************************************************************
Kellie went back before the Judge today (1/8/09)
She is asking for a reduced sentence of home confinement!
This from a woman who somewhere around 3 months ago stood before the
Judge reading her statement in which she (tearfully) said she would accept ANY
punishment he saw fit.
I had hoped her statement was sincere but it is now clear to me she said what
she thought the Judge wanted to hear in hopes of a lesser punishment.
My daughter is GONE! she lost the rest of her life! she was only 16! She had
many wonderful years ahead of her which Kellie stole from her!
And Kellie can not serve a lousy 6 years in jail?
We go back to court on this matter on March 11th and I hope that any family and
friends who can be present will be there and show their support for us.
We can not let this happen! Drunk drivers who kill already get off way too easy.
Just when me and my family thought we had some sort of closure, she rips the
wounds open again.
*********************
Our Legal battle is finally over. Kellie has been sentenced to 25 years. She'll
serve 6 of those years and the remaining on probation.
I am satisfied with the Judges decision. This was never about revenge, it has
always been about a crime that was committed and a punishment that would be
fitting. No person can commit a crime and expect not to be held accountable.
I addressed Kellie directly in court and told her that one day I need to forgive
her. Not for her, not for me...but for Samantha. Samantha would want that, it's
just the kind of person Samantha was.
I also hope one day when Kellie and I are both ready that we can meet and
perhaps even one day pair up as a team and speak publicly about our
experience. I think our story needs to be heard and maybe, just maybe we can
prevent it from happening to even one person.
I having had nearly 3 years to sort out all my feelings have decided to put my
anger, hatred and rage behind me and focus that negative energy on something
positive.
I did struggle with that a bit after reading some of the not so kind things Kellie
and her Mother had to say about me but once I had time to process it I let their
comments go knowing that they are untrue and again put my mind on the path
of positive thinking.
I know some people will be conflicted about how I have decided to deal with all
this...
Some will say "How can you even think of working with this woman who killed
your child?"
All I can say is...Nothing will ever change what is. Sammy is gone and all the
hate, anger and rage in the world will not give her back to me. And like it or not
my family and Kellie's family are forever connected by this tragedy. So if
together we can prevent even one parent from having to suffer the way I have,
well then, I feel it's the absolute right thing to do.
Others will say (and have said) I am strong, courageous, forgiving...
I say to you....
When you see my strength, my courage, my forgiveness....it's not me...it is
Samantha. I try to tackle each challenge in a way that would make her proud. I
think to myself, "How would Sammy handle this? What would she do? What
would she say?" and I do exactly that...
Samantha is my driving force.
I want to thank everyone for your love, prayers, and kind words of
encouragement. It really has meant so much to me and helped me through this
trying time.
Sharon
Driver gets six years in highway fatality
on 09-13-2008 05:25
By VINAYA SAKSENA
PROVIDENCE — A Cumberland woman has been sentenced to six years
imprisonment for her role in an accident that killed her teenage passenger and
left the defendant disfigured.
Michael Healey, a spokesman for Attorney General Patrick Lynch, said that
Kellie Woodbine was sentenced Friday to a total term of 25 years, with six years
to serve and 19 years suspended with probation, by Judge Mark Pfeiffer. The
sentence stems from a December 2005 crash that killed 16-year-old Samantha
Beaudette.
“Broken down, Woodbine got 15 years, with six years to serve and nine years
suspended with probation, on count one, DUI-death resulting; and 10 years
suspended with probation on count two, driving to endanger-death resulting, but
consecutive to count one,” Healey explained in an e-mail.
It is alleged that Beaudette was a passenger in a sport utility vehicle driven by
Woodbine when Woodbine lost control of the vehicle in the area of the
Pawtucket s-curves on I-95 north.
The accident reportedly occurred after the pair left a party so Woodbine could
get cigarettes. According to Healey, medical reports following the crash put
Woodbine’s blood alcohol count (BAC) at 0.246, three times higher than the
legal limit of .08.
In December 2006, Woodbine was indicted on charges of DUI death resulting
and driving to endanger, death resulting, according to judicial records. It has
been alleged that the borrowed SUV she was driving had been traveling at
nearly 100 mph.
Woodbine initially pleaded not guilty to the charges in January 2007. However,
court records show that she changed her plea on both charges to no contest on
June 25 of this year. The Associated Press reported that Woodbine indicated
any punishment would be acceptable to her.
According to Healey, Woodbine was ordered by Judge Pfeiffer to perform 500
hours of community service upon release from prison. Her driver’s license will be
revoked for five years after her release. He also ordered her to undergo
treatment and counseling for alcohol abuse.
Samantha Beaudette’s mother, Sharon Acorn, has started a Web site in her
daughter’s memory, at www.samanthabeaudette.com. She had previously
started a Web log in which she remembered her daughter and discussed
Woodbine’s trial, with the first entry posted in June 2006. Acorn has been
particularly vocal on issues raised by her daughter’s death, including roadside
memorials, for which she has been advocating for greater leniency by local
governments.
Driver in fatal crash sentenced to 6 years
01:00 AM EDT on Saturday, September 13, 2008
By John Castellucci
Journal Staff Writer
Members of Samantha Beaudette’s family wear T-shirts in her honor yesterday
in Superior Court.
The Providence Journal / John Freidah
PROVIDENCE –– The woman responsible for the fiery crash that caused the
death of 16-year-old Samantha Beaudette was sentenced yesterday to six years
in prison.
Kellie Woodbine — who pleaded no contest to drunken driving, death resulting,
and reckless driving, death resulting — was sentenced after telling Superior
Court Judge Mark A. Pfeiffer that she would accept any punishment in the hope
that it would bring the victim’s mother, Sharon Achorn, peace of mind.
“I’m sorry. I never intended this to happen,” she said, turning to Achorn and
addressing her directly in a courtroom packed with Beaudette’s family members.
“We became friends quick. We went for a simple ride to the store,” she said of
herself and Samantha. “No one expected such a tragedy.”
Woodbine, 30, who was disfigured by the burns that she suffered in the crash,
said that she continues to experience guilt and self-loathing. “The scars that you
see on the outside –– the ones on the inside are worse.”
But Achorn, who spoke before Woodbine did, said Woodbine had to be
punished, if only to “make things a little more right,” she told Pfeiffer.
“I don’t ask this out of hatred. I ask this out of justice for my child,” Achorn said,
asking Pfeiffer to impose a sentence of eight years –– the maximum possible
under the plea agreement.
“I need to be able to forgive you one day,” she said, addressing Woodbine. “Not
for you, not for me but for Samantha, because it’s what she would have done.”
The Dec. 30, 2005, accident that caused Samantha’s death occurred between
Exits 29 and 30 of Route 95 –– the notorious Pawtucket S-curve. Samantha was
supposed to be staying overnight at a friend’s house. Instead, she and the
friend –– who was dating the son of Woodbine’s boyfriend –– snuck off to a
party in Woodbine’s apartment on Broadway in Pawtucket.
Shortly after midnight, Woodbine ran out of cigarettes. She borrowed her
boyfriend’s sister’s Chevy Avalanche and got Beaudette to accompany her to
the store.
She was traveling 96 mph on Route 95 north when she lost control of the
borrowed SUV, struck a bridge abutment and landed on the shoulder, Assistant
Attorney General Stephen A. Regine said.
“The entire vehicle was engulfed in flames. It rotated to the point where
Samantha was trapped inside,” Regine said.
He said Woodbine, a functioning alcoholic who told her probation officer she
woke up drunk every morning and drank herself to sleep every night, had a
blood alcohol level of 0.246 percent –– three times the legal limit –– when the
crash happened.
Beaudette died in Rhode Island Hospital of the injuries she suffered. Her aunt,
Linda Baez, said she was so severely burned, it was impossible to find a healthy
part of her body to touch.
Another aunt, Patricia Maynard, who was unable to go to the hospital, said that
other family members told her afterward she was lucky: She has the benefit of
remembering what Samantha, a pretty Darlington Braves cheerleader, looked
like before she was burned.
“It’s hard to recall a case as horrible as this,” Judge Pfeiffer said, before
pronouncing sentence.
Pfeiffer said he believed Woodbine’s remorse is genuine: “I do believe you that if
you could trade places, you would.”
He said he wasn’t sure whether imposing stiff sentences in cases of drunken
driving, death resulting, does in fact deter others from getting behind the wheel
of a car while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
But he has a responsibility to take the deterrent effect into consideration,
Pfeiffer said, and to give Samantha’s family a sense of closure.
So he denied defense lawyer Steven D. DiLibero’s request for a continuance or
a stay of execution. (DiLiberio wanted Woodbine, who has already undergone
multiple skin graft surgeries, to remain under house arrest until after she has
another operation on Oct. 3.)
Pfeiffer also disregarded DiLibero’s request for a three-year sentence. He
sentenced Woodbine to 15 years in state custody, with nine of the years on
probation and the other six behind bars.
Outside court, Beaudette’s mother was asked whether the sentence had
brought her peace of mind, as Woodbine hoped.
“Nothing’s going to bring peace to me. My daughter’s gone,” Achorn answered.
The sentence was fair, Achorn said, and she was satisfied with it.
“But there will never be peace. Never,” she said.
I recently began watching the news again. I had given up tv for a long time after
Sammy died because the news is just too depressing and I never knew when
they would pop Sammy's story on again.
I've noticed more and more that under age drinking and driving is a big issue...
Reported all over the news, in the papers, people pissing and moaning about it
yet doing nothing to make a difference.
If pissing and moaning about it could change it, well hell the problem would be
solved by now.
I think the biggest issue is that different laws, rules and consequences apply for
minors.
If an adult drinks and drives and kills someone, they will be punished...almost
without question serve time in jail.
A minor however generally walks away with a slap on the wrist.
The parents of the victim unable to witness any legal proceedings because the
driver is a minor....hey, after all...the murderer has rights!
So what if that minor child took the life of your minor child. The government and
our legal system don't give a shit about your childs rights. Once your child dies
there are no rights.
I personally think that is bullshit.
Our children did not ask to die. The drunk driver stripped our children of their
very basic right to life, yet their rights are protected.
They break the law, they kill....and they are protected.
I've met several parents of children who were killed by an under age drunk
driver.
One driver in particular killed 2 children...
The driver got a slap on the wrist and nothing more...he'll never serve any time
for what he did.
The families of the victims are serving life sentences imposed on them by this
under age driver, a life without their child, a life of heartache, a life of suffering...
The driver....in time will forget and move on and live a long happy life, marry,
have children, grandchildren one day...
Something our children will never have the chance to do.
I personally feel that 16 years old is too young to be trusted with driving a motor
vehicle.
It's a huge responsibility. You not only have your own life in your hands but the
lives of everyone on the streets around you...drivers and pedestrians.
I think that the laws and consequences should apply to all drivers alike,
regardless of your age.
And if the government wont consider that then they need to consider raising the
driving age to 18 at the very least. That would certainly take a huge bite out of
the alcohol related accidents.
Another thing which needs to be looked at is the way drunk drivers are charged.
I'm sorry...I feel anyone who has a drivers license and drinks makes the
conscious decision to drink and drive before they ever take that first sip.
If you didn't take a cab to the location where you'll be drinking, designate a
driver or hand someone your keys and say "I'll be drinking and wont need these
tonight" You have consciously decided you may drive.
It's murder!
You take a life, in some cases several lives and because you were in an
"Incapacitated state" You only serve 5 or 10 years if that....PLEASE!
The person who was killed was handed the death sentence. For what?
They were innocent victims.
I also think we all need to get off our asses and stop talking about the problem
and do something to make a difference.
If anyone would like to contact me about this, if you have any thoughts or ideas...
I am more then happy to hear from you.
I can't help but wonder...You know those signs we see all over the place?
YOU DRINK, YOU DRIVE, YOU LOSE....
Those signs? I wonder, were they just put there to give us a false sense that
they are actually doing something to battle this problem? Or is there fine print on
the sign somewhere that those words only apply if you are over 18?
Rhode Island Government officials....STEP UP TO THE PLATE AND DO
SOMETHING ABOUT THIS PROBLEM!
On an election year you all talk a good game and make wonderful empty
promises about the things you know you will never do....well while your blowing
smoke up our asses our children are dying! Do something now....Future voters
lives are at stake (perhaps that will get you motivated)
