Editor’s note: This story has been updated.
MONROE COUNTY, MI – The Newport woman who drove into the Swan Creek Boat Club last year, killing two children and injuring several more people has been convicted on two counts of second-degree murder.
Marshella Chidester, 67, was convicted by a jury Thursday following a four-day trial that featured testimony from dozens of witnesses. Along with the second-degree murder charges, Chidester was also convicted on two counts of operating under the influence causing death and five counts of operating under the influence causing serious bodily injury.
Chidester faces up to life in prison for the second-degree murder conviction and will be sentenced in the matter on May 15. Chidester was remanded to the Monroe County Jail pending sentencing.
Members of the gallery embraced and shed tears as the verdict was read, according to a live broadcast provided by TV station WTOL. Chidester showed little emotion at first, slightly lowering her head as the murder conviction was announced. After court was adjourned, Chidester was handcuffed and led out of the courtroom by police, passing right in front of the gallery.
The verdict comes following a nearly year-long case which started on April 20, 2024. Chidester was behind the wheel of a car that drove into the Swan Creek Boat Club around 3 p.m. Inside the club, where Chidester is a former commodore, a children’s birthday party was ongoing.
Chidester’ vehicle hit the building with such force that her car stopped approximately 25 feet inside the building.
Two siblings were killed in the crash: 8-year-old Alanah Phillips and 4-year-old Zayn Phillips. More than a dozen others were injured. Several of the injuries were serious and led to some of the felony charges against Chidester.
Chidester and her lawyer, Bill Colovos, claimed that she had a seizure while driving that was caused by ongoing health issues. Chidester claims that she hadn’t done much driving in the months prior to the crash, but had begun driving after not having seizures for six months.
During the investigation, Chidester admitted to having one glass of wine at lunch on the day of the crash. A receipt that was gathered as evidence in the case shows one glass of wine on Chidester’s order.
Following the crash, Chidester’s blood-alcohol-content level was .18, more than double the legal limit in Michigan of .08. In Michigan, anyone with a BAC over .17 is considered “super drunk.”
WDIV-Detroit reports that video footage from inside Chidester’s house on April 20 tells a different story. The footage was played in court Thursday during the testimony of Deputy Hooper from the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office. The footage shows Chidester walking around the house at various times with wine in her hand.
At 9:30 a.m. she is seen with a mini bottle of wine in her hand, and an hour later, Chidester is seen with another bottle. At 12:45 p.m., Chidester can be seen walking through the house with a bottle of wine.
Then at 2:10 p.m., Chidester is seen holding an empty glass. At 2:30 p.m. Chidester fills an empty glass with more wine and leaves the room.
Previously released footage from a security camera across the street from Chidester’s home showed her backing out of her driveway and hitting a vehicle parked next door before speeding away. A short time later, Chidester drove into the building.
Police officer body camera footage captured after the crash shows Chidester speaking with a deputy. While sitting in a police car, Chidester was asked what happened.
“I pulled into the parking lot and I thought I was driving up to the boat club and evidently I was driving right into the building,” Chidester told the deputy.
Chidester was later asked by the deputy if she thought she was OK to be driving, and replied “I wouldn’t want to drive.”
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