Woman charged with homicide in crash that killed 2 Marquette University lacrosse players
A 41-year-old Wisconsin woman was allegedly intoxicated when she collided with a vehicle carrying multiple Marquette University lacrosse players, two of whom died in the crash, according to a complaint filed Wednesday.
Amandria Brunner, of West Allis, was charged Wednesday with two counts of homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle while having a prior intoxicant-related conviction, court records show.
The charges come nearly a week after the crash, which killed Marquette student-athletes Noah Snyder and Scott Michaud.
The incident occurred late Friday afternoon at an intersection near the school's campus in Milwaukee. Snyder and Michaud were passengers in a silver Jeep Grand Cherokee carrying several members of the lacrosse team, one of whom told police they were on their way to a thrift store, according to the complaint.
Brunner, who was traveling northbound in a white Ford Ranger, was attempting to make a left turn when she collided with the Jeep as it was traveling southbound, according to the complaint.
Video recovered from the scene showed the Ford Ranger accelerating into the intersection while the traffic light was yellow, "whereupon it collides with the gray SUV as it is entering the intersection at a high rate of speed," the complaint stated. The Jeep was traveling 53 mph in a 30 mph zone, according to the complaint.
Snyder and Michaud, who were both in the rear seat of the Jeep, were pronounced dead at the scene, according to the complaint. They died from multiple blunt force injuries, it said.
The driver of the Jeep consented to a blood draw, an analysis of which is still pending, according to the complaint.
Brunner was assisted out of her vehicle by a bystander who told police she "smelled alcohol on the defendant's person," the complaint stated. Brunner allegedly told an officer who responded to the scene that "she was turning left when another car hit her, and 'they are dead,'" the complaint stated.
Brunner allegedly stated that she had two Steel Reserve drinks prior to the crash, and that there was alcohol in her vehicle, according to the complaint. The officer observed that the driver "had bloodshot and glassy eyes, slurred speech, and difficulty keeping her balance," the complaint stated. During a field sobriety test, she showed "multiple clues of impairment" and was placed under arrest, the complaint stated.
Brunner was transported to a local hospital for medical clearance, where her blood was drawn following the issuance of a search warrant, according to the complaint. Her blood alcohol content was found to be .133, according to the complaint, which noted the blood sample is undergoing further drug testing.
During a search of her Ford Ranger, an officer "observed the odor of intoxicants emanating from the vehicle" and found one open can of Miller High Life beer in the truck's cab, behind the passenger seat, the complaint stated. The officer "observed that the can was partially crushed, but the top of the beer can did not appear to be opened by crash forces," the complaint stated.
Brunner was previously convicted of operating while intoxicated in 2003, according to the complaint.
The court official found probable cause to move forward in the case during Brunner's initial court appearance on Wednesday, online court records show. Cash bond was set at $75,000, with bond conditions including that she maintain sobriety and not drive.
A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for Sept. 18.
ABC News was unable to reach Brunner's public defender for comment. The Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office did not have any comment on the case at this time.
Snyder and Michaud were "strong students" who were both named to the BIG EAST All-Academic Team in their first years at Marquette, the university said.
Snyder, a native of Getzville, New York, was a student in the College of Business Administration. Michaud, a native of Springboro, Ohio, was a biomedical sciences major in the College of Health Sciences.
"Please keep Noah and Scott's parents, siblings and families, and the Marquette Athletics and college communities in your prayers," Marquette President Kimo Ah Yun said in a statement following the crash. "Noah and Scott's lives were taken too soon and we share in the heartbreak of their teammates, coaches and those who knew them personally."
