The Maine Supreme Judicial Court has upheld the manslaughter conviction of an Oxford woman who was the driver in a 2012 crash that killed two of her passengers and seriously injured a third.
In a ruling released Thursday, the justices said they found no error in the trial court’s actions or the jury’s verdict.
Kristina I. Lowe, who was 18 at the time of the crash in January 2012, was sentenced to eight years in prison with all but 18 months suspended.
That means Lowe will serve no more than 18 months, according to her attorney, James Howaniec of Lewiston. He said Lowe will be housed at the Windham Correctional Center and could become eligible for a community work release program after six months.
“For sure, she will serve less than one year,” Howaniec said Thursday evening.
Lowe has not served any jail time yet. She is scheduled to report to jail authorities Wednesday, Howaniec said.
In May 2014, an Oxford County jury convicted Lowe of two counts of manslaughter and one count of leaving the scene of an accident. She was found not guilty of operating under the influence.
The justices praised the lower court for its handling of a case that generated intense publicity. Howaniec argued that the lower court should have allowed a change of venue because of pre-trial publicity, and that her father should not have been required to testify about what she said to him in the emergency room after the crash.
“To the contrary, the (trial) court adeptly handled a publicized and emotional case and thoughtfully decided the evidentiary issues presented in order to provide Lowe with a fair trial,” the court said in its 21-page opinion.
The crash occurred on Route 219 in West Paris just after midnight on Jan. 7, 2012.
Two passengers were killed in the crash: Rebecca Mason, 16, and Logan Dam, 19. Lowe and Jacob Skaff, 22, sustained serious injuries.
The four teenagers were returning to a house party in West Paris. People at the party told police that Lowe appeared drunk and had been drinking from a bottle of Jagermeister, according to records in the supreme court ruling.
They said Lowe drove a borrowed car in circles in the driveway of the home, eventually hitting a tree stump, after which she came into the home “laughing, prompting one of the residents to take away her keys. In addition, a witness saw Lowe smoking a joint with another guy.”
Lowe eventually left the party with Dam and Skaff to pick up Mason. After picking up Mason, the group stopped at a convenience store to buy gas and alcohol, court documents say.
Expert testimony at the trial established that Lowe’s vehicle, returning from the store to the party, was going as fast as 75 mph in a 55 mph zone.
Court documents say that Lowe got a text message on her cellphone at 12:11 a.m. Lowe told police that when she looked down at her message, Dam, who was in the back, grabbed the wheel. Lowe lost control, sending the car flying through the air and hitting several trees. Lowe and Skaff climbed out of the wreckage and walked about a mile, passing several homes, to the site of the party before authorities were notified.
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