A woman accused of driving drunk and killing a grandmother in a crash in McKeesport asked a judge to let her out of jail. The judge’s decision has the victim’s family frustrated.
“They told me they were going to let her out, and I just kind of lost it a little bit,” Rob Longo told Chanel 11.
Longo showed up to court in a wheelchair, with a neck brace, and a boot on his foot — all injuries he received after police say Brittney McPherson crashed into his car.
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He was driving his mother-in-law, Donna DeFrances, home on Valentine’s Day night, after she babysat his stepdaughter for the evening.
Donna was killed in the crash, and McPherson has been in jail since, until today, after a judge granted her bail with conditions. Those conditions state that she must have electric home monitoring, she can’t drive a car, and is not to drink alcohol or do drugs.
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“I said I don’t think she should ever be walking the streets again, but I don’t make the rules. That was up to the judge. And I believe the system failed us,” he added.
Ring doorbell video picked up the sound of the engine and the loud crash. Police say McPherson had been drinking, had THC in her system, and had her three young children in her car.
“I think if you kill somebody, that should be grounds to stay where you’re at. Especially if you kill somebody in the way she did with the kids in the van. Putting everyone in danger around here and they let her back on the streets,” Longo said.
McPherson had no criminal history, which, according to legal expert Phil DiLucente, could be a reason why the judge let her out of jail on bond.
“If it is their first offense, and even though there are some outliers they are speaking of, a judge must take into consideration those factors… do they own their home, are they a part of the community, are they going to show up to court hearings, and are they going to be a threat to society,” DiLucente said.
Still, Longo can’t believe McPherson is out of jail.
“You can just go kill someone today and then you’ll be out in a couple weeks, no sweat. Endanger your kids and the lives of everyone around you. It doesn’t matter,” Longo told Channel 11.
The district attorney told me they argued that she should not be released, but the judge granted bail anyway.
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