SHARPSBURG, Ga. – A woman was sentenced to 15 years after pleading guilty to killing a college student in a car crash in February 2017.
On Monday, 45-year-old Casey Hunter pleaded guilty to two counts of homicide by vehicle in the first degree, along with misdemeanor counts of driving while license suspended, no proof of insurance, and affixing of the plate to conceal or misrepresent identity.
Hunter was charged with killing 21-year-old Noemy Islas, a Marietta High graduate who was studying to become a nurse.
On Feb. 3, 2017, Cobb District Attorney Vic Reynolds said in a statement Hunter was driving under the influence of multiple drugs including clonazepam, methadone, phenobarbital, haloperidol and hydroxyzine, prescription medication, and THC. At the time, her license was suspended.
“Ms. Taylor knew that her that her driver’s license had been suspended, and she knew that she shouldn’t have been driving with the amount of prescription medications that she was taking. She also knew that she was prone to seizures,” ADA Patricia Hull said in the release.
That night, her Ford Expedition veered into opposing lanes of traffic, colliding with the passenger side of Islas’ Honda Civic.
“She has taken the life of a 21-year-old student who was working two jobs and who spent all of her free time with her family,” Hull said. “This family will never be the same.”
After accepting the non-negotiated plea, Cobb Superior Court Judge Mary Staley Clark sentenced Hunter to 18 years, with 15 years to serve in custody and the remainder on probation.
Hunter is also banned from driving while on probation.
