I have been quiet
I have been hurting
I have been hiding
But the sleeping dragon has been awakened
It's been a while since I checked in on this topic and the main reason is because I feel like I am beating a dead horse and I do not want people to get sick of me talking about this all the time, but how can I not? How can I not express the pain I have inside of losing my TWO sisters to a drunk driver who is walking free and living her best life? How can our system be so broken that drunk driving goes mostly unpunished because people don't seem to care?
For example, there is a case in Mississippi (the same city and state where my sisters were killed) where a lady by the name of Beth Ann White was allowed to skate the system over and over and drive drunk multiple times with a slap on her wrist until she killed two people in 2021. Beth Ann White had previous arrests for drunk driving. Her history of DUI offenses includes incidents in March 2014, July 2016, and August 2016. These prior convictions contributed to the severity of her sentencing for the fatal crash in November 2021 in which she killed a mother and her six-month-old child and sent two other children to the hospital in serious condition. Now the two children have to live without their mother and horror of the crash that took her and their brother.
My question is why? Why was Beth Ann White allowed to get off so many times until she finally killed people? And what's even crazier, she still claims she is not at fault. She was given 110 years. She's currently in her early 50's and will most likely not live outside of prison walls. Of course, she is appealing.
Now let's look at the case with my sisters. The state is prosecuting this case. They have not ONCE reached out to us, the family. If I had not searched hard I would have NEVER found court documents! It's a slap in the face! Who is dropping the ball and do they even care?
So today there is a court date which I don't fully understand and I JUST found out just days ago, as a result of my own search. The woman who killed my sister is Jada Kelly. She was 22 at the time and has been charged with 3 counts of aggravated DUI. She was .18 over the legal limit. Jada pleaded "NOT GUILTY" In Mississippi, when someone kills another person as a result of drunk driving, the charge is typically "aggravated DUI" rather than manslaughter. This is because the state has specific laws that categorize causing death or serious injury while driving under the influence as an aggravated DUI, which carries severe penalties. The distinction lies in the particular provisions of Mississippi's DUI laws, which are designed to address the reckless nature of driving while intoxicated separately from other forms of criminal negligence or intent typically associated with manslaughter.
Jada faces 5-25 years for each of my sisters. Will she get that? While I am fighting for this to be the outcome I feel I am being blocked by the very people who are supposed to be fighting for us. You see the DA had a Private Investigator who worked for them for many years and after he retired, he continued to work for them off and on...that man....is Jada Kelly's father! Tell me HOW. How can the DA fairly prosecute this case and who can I truly trust? Nobody is answering me on that. Jada also is working for the very attorney who is representing her. While this is NOT illegal in Mississippi, it seems it's an ethical issue. She also has a stepfather on a neighboring police department and a high profile cousin who is an attorney. In other words, she protected on all fronts while my family lost two sisters, mothers, grandmothers, and aunties. Not to mention the host of friends who loved them both so much. Who speaks for them? Who protects them?
I have decided to speak out publicly on this matter. I have posted videos on all my social media platforms. I want this story to be told and I want JUSTICE for Azure and Valerie. They deserve to be heard and they deserve to have their killer brought to justice.
I am a praying woman, my faith is being tested but I refuse to let go of my faith. So I pray and pray hard, but it does not stop the very human emotions that flood my soul ever hour! NOT DAY...EVERY HOUR!
How can this girl's family justify what she did?
How can they let her believe she just made a mistake and does not have to pay for what she did?
How in good conscience can they look her in the eye and say, it's ok, you won't serve a day?
How can Jada continue to enjoy a free life when she has taken two and seriously injured another (yes, there was another in the car who survived)
Why does the justice system take so long to prosecute such clear-cut cases?
I have tried to soothe my soul, I try to work, I try to sing, I try to do things to keep my mind busy, but I made a promise to my sisters to see this through.
And what really hurts is, when you never have to experience such pain in your life, it just seems like a story. Until you actually live in this nightmare you don't fully understand.
It's such a simple thing to ask of people.
Don't drink and drive....
Don't drink and drive....
DON'T FUCKING DRINK AND DRIVE
But now it's just a catchphrase and until it happens in your life, nobody listens.
So I leave this with you....
Yes, my love, monsters do exist and they look like people!
DON'T FUCKING DRINK AND DRIVE
