Driver in triple fatal 2019 St. Patrick’s Day crash not guilty on all charges
DAYTON (WXIX) - Abby Michales, the woman who was on trial for the triple fatal 2019 St. Patrick’s Day Crash, is not guilty on all charges, a judge decided Friday, according to Montgomery County court documents.
The judge said Friday the state failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Michaels knowingly caused the crash and that alcohol was not a factor.
She was indicted in July 2019, on charges of murder, aggravated vehicular homicide and OVI, court records show.
The judge granted a motion on June 2 dismissing four charges against her: three counts of aggravated vehicular homicide and one for OVI.
The judge ruled in 2021 to suppress evidence of her blood drawn after the crash because it was not properly refrigerated, court records show. That led to fermentation of the blood, which elevated the BAC.
Michaels still faced multiple charges which included three counts of murder.
The charges stemmed from the crash that killed three members of the Thompson family:
Timmy Thompson - 51
Karen Thompson - 50
Tessa Thompson - 10
Michaels was driving a 2015 Kia Forte when her vehicle collided with Thompson’s Toyota Camry on I-75 near Dayton on March 17, 2019, Moraine police announced previously.
Timmy Thompson, 51, Karen Thompson, 50, and Tessa Thompson, 10, died in March when their car was hit in a wrong-way crash on I-75 near Dayton.
The prosecution said Michaels “knowingly drove her vehicle into oncoming traffic to cause serious physical harm.”
Evidence presented in court showed Michaels at Ron’s Pizza in the Dayton area on March 17, 2019.
She was with a small group of people that night and witnesses say her date that night had too much to drink and was asked to leave the bar.
Surveillance video played in court shows Michaels leaving with her group at 7:46 p.m. Eight minutes later, she called her ex-husband, Kyle Pastorelle, according to his phone records.
Two minutes later, Michaels tried to call her ex-husband again but he didn’t answer, the prosecution says evidence shows.
At 8 p.m., Pastorelle got a text saying, “Goodbye, I love you, I’m dying now,” according to the prosecution’s evidence.
The judge said that text does not indicate a plan to drive into oncoming traffic.
He further added that the testimony from Michaels’ now ex-husband is “untrue and unworthy of belief.”
Montgomery County Prosecutor Mat Heck released a statement following the judge’s verdict:
The investigating law enforcement agency, Moraine Police Department, and we firmly believe there was sufficient evidence to prove Abby Michael’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, and as such we are shocked and disappointed with Judge Dankof’s ruling today. We will continue to fight for justice for every victim in Montgomery County. Our continued thoughts and prayers are with the Thompson family during this difficult time.
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Source: FOX19
