Michigan Grandmother Found Guilty of Murder After Crashing Car into Birthday Party, Killing 2 Children

A Michigan grandmother who was accused of being intoxicated when she crashed her car into a boat club, killing two young children and injuring more than a dozen others, has been found guilty of murder.

According to reports from local outlets WXYZ, Fox 2 Detroit and the Detroit Free Press, on Thursday, March 6, 67-year-old Marshella Chidester was found guilty on nine counts in the deaths of siblings Zayn Phillips, 4, and Alanah Phillips, 8, as well as injuring others.

The charges included two counts of second-degree murder, two counts of operating a vehicle while intoxicated causing death and four counts of operating a vehicle while intoxicated causing serious injury for the April 2024 crash.

Chidester was accused of crashing her car into the Swan Boat Club in Newport, Mich., located about 30 miles south of Detroit. Her vehicle entered about 25 feet inside the club, where a child’s birthday party was being held, sheriffs said at the time.

The Monroe County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment on Saturday, March 8.

At the time of the crash, a GoFundMe created by the Phillips children’s aunt revealed that their mother, Mariah, and older brother, Jayden, had also suffered injuries at the birthday party and were “in critical condition.”

Three children and six adults were taken to local hospitals via ambulance and helicopter with “serious, life-threatening injuries,” Monroe County Sheriff Troy Goodnough said at the time. The Phillips siblings were pronounced dead at the scene.

During Chidester’s four-day trial, the jury saw testimony from more than two dozen witnesses, the Detroit Free Press reported. The final piece of evidence presented by prosecutors was video clips taken by a security camera in Chidester’s kitchen, which showed her drinking wine hours before the crash on April 20, 2024.

Chidester’s defense attorney, Bill Colovos, had argued during the trial that her blood sample taken to determine her BAC may not have been accurate, per an expert who testified. According to Fox 2, the attorney also argued that the blood sample was mishandled by authorities and should not have been admitted as evidence.

Colovos also claimed that Chidester has had seizures in the past and had been hospitalized for several days as a result, per Fox 2. He said previously that she has had epileptic-type seizures in her legs that have led to paralysis.

Following the verdict, Colovos told reporters that he planned to appeal the case and that he believed it was difficult to get a fair trial in such a small community, according to WXYZ.

“We appreciate everything the jury did here today. We think they did a phenomenal job in evaluating the evidence,” Monroe County Prosecutor Jeff Yorkey said in a press conference after the verdict was read.

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After the guilty verdicts were read out, Brian Phillips, the father of the two children who died, said he was grateful for the verdicts, according to the Detroit Free Press.

“I will never get peace,” he said, per the outlet. “I never will find peace with this, but I’m glad that the verdict came back on all counts. I am happy with that verdict.”