A Capitol rioter filmed brandishing Nancy Pelosi 's office sign has been charged with driving drunkenly down the wrong side of a...
A Capitol rioter filmed brandishing Nancy Pelosi's office sign has been charged with driving drunkenly down the wrong side of a freeway and killing a 32 year-old mom of two.
Authorities said that Emily Hernandez, 22, of Sullivan, was arrested after the crash Wednesday night on Interstate 44 in Franklin County. Her car slammed into another vehicle that spun into a median strip and hit cable barriers, police said. Both cars 'swerved to avoid each other,' according to a crash report shared by the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
Victoria Wilson, 32, of St. Clair, was killed in the collision while being in a 2019 Buick Enclave and her husband Ryan, who was the driver, was seriously injured, the patrol added.
Hernandez faces possible charges of driving while intoxicated resulting in death, and driving while intoxicated resulting in injury, according to an arrest report.
Ethan Corlija, one of Hernandez's lawyers, said his client was expected to be released from the hospital Thursday after receiving surgery, but declined to comment on the charges.
'The exact circumstances of the accident are unclear,' Corlija told the WMOV. 'It's unfortunate. I am heartbroken for the others involved.'
Emily Hernandez, 22, of Sullivan, was placed under arrest for driving while intoxicated causing the death of an individual and driving while intoxicated leading to serious physical injury of another person on Wednesday evening
Victoria Wilson, 32, who was a mother-of-two, leaves behind a family of two boys, and her husband Ryan, after Wednesday night's fatal car crash
On January 6 last year, Hernandez participated in the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol and was pictured smiling in photos while holding a broken sign from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office (pictured)
In January of last year, Hernandez was charged with five misdemeanors after being pictured and recorded at the infamous Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol.
Hernandez participated at the 'Stop the Steal' rally with two other people from the St. Louis area. She was part of a group of supporters of former President Donald Trump, who stormed through police barricades and broke into the Capitol as Congress certified the peaceful transfer of power.
Weeks later, Hernandez was accused in federal court of knowingly entering a restricted building without lawful authority, disorderly conduct which impedes government business, stealing, disruptive conduct in the Capitol, and demonstrating in the Capitol.
Corlija who also defended Hernandez at the time, described his client to reporters as 'the girl next door,' after she appeared smiling in photos while holding a broken sign from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office.
'It's an unfortunate situation and it's one she didn't want to put herself in,' Corlija told the Daily Beast, at the time. 'She's willing to move beyond it, do the things she needs to do to make it right and get on with the rest of her life.'
She also posted images of herself at the Capitol on Snapchat, according to court documents. Hernandez was scheduled to plead guilty on Monday to at least one misdemeanor charge related to the federal case.
One of the two other people who travelled to D.C from St. Louis with the woman was her uncle, William D. 'Bill Merry. He pleaded guilty this week to theft of government property after he was pictured next to Hernandez, holding Pelosi's broken sign while wearing a red 'Trump 2020' hat.
Paul Scott Westover is the other traveler. He pleaded guilty last month to demonstrating in the Capitol.
The 22-year-old female (wearing sunglasses in this picture) was charged with five misdemeanors related to the infamous Jan. 6 riots and intended to plea guilty to at least one of them on Monday in federal court
Hernandez (left) turned herself into the St. Louis FBI office, with her attorney Ethan Corlija (right) on Jan 19, 2021. She was released without bond.
Meanwhile, the victim who perished in Wednesday's crash leaves behind two boys, ages 10 and 15, according to the St Louis Post-Dispatch.
'She had a heart of gold,' Victoria's mother Tonie Donaldson told the local paper, adding that her daughter was a at-home healthcare worker who help people with disabilities.
'Not everyone can work with mentally challenged children, and she's done it since she was 13.'
Grieving her daughter's passing, Donaldson questioned why Hernandez wasn't in custody, especially after she turned herself in to the FBI last year
'Why is she still out?' Donaldson asked. 'With what she did to the government, why is she still walking the street? To me, she's a piece of [expletive]. At 7 o'clock, you're drunk and she got on the highway drunk?
At the time of the federal case, prosecutors advised that Hernandez should not be jailed until trial. Subsequently, she was released on bond but was not allowed to be in contact with law enforcement as a condition of her release.
No comments