Mother of bride Samantha Miller killed by drunk driver on wedding night reacts to shocking 25-year sentence

The heartbroken mother of the bride killed by a drunk driver on her wedding night, has broken her silence to speak out on the moment she set eyes on her daughter's killer in court this week – and her reaction was shocking.

Speaking exclusively to DailyMail.com at her home in Charlotte, North Carolina, Lisa Miller, 60, said: 'I know people want me to hate her and to wish her ill, but I looked at her and I felt nothing.

'My daughter is gone; nothing can change that. She is a girl who made a series of bad choices, and my daughter is dead as a result.'

Jamie Lee Komoroski, 27, pleaded guilty on Monday to reckless homicide in the death of 34-year-old Samantha Miller.

Samantha died when Komoroski's car plowed into the golf cart carrying her and members of her wedding party, including new husband Aric Hutchinson, 37, away from their marriage ceremony on Folly Beach, South Carolina.

After a three-hour hearing in Charleston County Circuit Court, several family members spoke for both of the victims – Hutchinson was seriously injured along with a groomsman and his nephew.

Judge Deadra Jefferson handed down the maximum sentence possible, sentencing Komoroski to 25 years for Felony DUI, Death, 15 years for each of two counts of Felony DUI, Great Bodily Injury and 10 years for Reckless Homicide. She will also have to pay fines totaling $25,200.

Judge Jefferson instructed that the sentences should run concurrently. Komoroski will receive jail time credit for the days already served including her time under house arrest with the total tally coming in at 583 days.

Komoroski delivered a tearful apology to the victims and their families. At times she appeared to choke up as she addressed the court and said: 'On the night of April 28, 2023, I chose to drink and drive which resulted in the death of Samantha Miller.

'This is the worst decision I have ever made in my life. Due to my poor decisions, a beautiful wife, sister and mother was taken…all I can say is how incredibly remorseful I am.'

But though she sat through Komoroski's monologue, Samantha's mother Lisa remained unmoved.

She told DailyMail.com, 'I'm glad she got the maximum sentence but there is no "good outcome." It won't bring my daughter back.

'I don't want to know anything about her from now on. You have all these choices that the prosecutor gives you about being informed but I don't want to know how she gets on, I don't want to know if she misbehaves.

'I just want to heal and every time I think I'm getting somewhere something happens to bring it all up again and I'm back to square one. This morning, I didn't want to get out of bed.'

Miller said she didn't hate Komoroski. 'I just feel nothing for her.'

While Hutchinson and Samantha were tying the knot in front of 120 family and friends on April 28, 2023, Komoroski was enjoying a 'booze-filled day of barhopping,' in the streets of Folly Beach just yards away, according to a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the groom in May 2023 against her and a host of establishments that she drank at.

And when Samantha and her new husband climbed into the golf cart to leave the ceremony, Komoroski was not far behind them, speeding at 65mph – 40mph above the speed limit – down the narrow road where their unprotected cart was traveling.

Exclusive security camera footage obtained by DailyMail.com showed the awful events as they unfolded that night. The golf cart carrying the wedding party, with a 'Just Married' banner strung behind it can be seen passing by the Nest camera of a local homeowner.

Moments later, and horrifyingly fast, Komoroski's car zooms past the camera and down the road where she would unleash the ultimate destruction.

Agonizing minutes pass before the sirens of ambulances and police vehicles gather at the scene, and the awful inevitability of the tragedy becomes all too devastatingly clear.

All Hutchinson remembers is kissing his bride on the forehead as she told him she wished the night would 'never end'. The next thing he knew he woke up in a hospital bed, grievously injured and confronted with the awful truth that his wife of only a few hours was dead.

Despite the horror of that night, Komoroski appeared stunned at the harshness of the sentence when it was handed down on Monday afternoon.

Court documents obtained by DailyMail.com show how vigorously her attorneys fought for a 'minimal' sentence and how they hoped that by pleading guilty, their client would be afforded the leniency of the court.

Komoroski's lawyers pressed the fact that she had no criminal history and expressed the hope that this along with, 'her personal circumstances, her complete acceptance of responsibility and genuine remorse, continuing rehabilitative efforts, and the unlikelihood of recidivism,' would sway the court towards a lighter sentence, said a lengthy sentencing memorandum reviewed by DailyMail.com.

According to the memorandum, Komoroski had made sincere strides in her sobriety journey since the horrific events of last April.

Originally denied bail, Komoroski was held in jail for a year before a bond modification saw her released into strict house arrest, which saw her wearing a GPS and SCRAM alcohol monitor around the clock – conditions that, her lawyers pointed out, she did not violate.

While in jail, Komoroski began attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, a habit which she continued during the nine months she was cooped up under house arrest in a luxury apartment in Charleston.

Komoroski's lawyers revealed that once released on bond, she hosted 'in-person meetings at her apartment every Friday,' as well as answering an AA hotline once a week and providing guidance to individuals in crisis. They also revealed that she had served as an AA sponsor for the past two months.

At the time of her sentencing, her attorneys asserted she was attending 'at least six AA meetings weekly, whether online or while hosting [and] also chairs a meeting every week'.

The concerted efforts to secure New Jersey-born Komoroski minimal jail time also included numerous letters of support from fellow AA group members who expressed their belief in the sincerity of Komoroski's bid to recover and make amends.

One woman, identified only by the initials M.A.C., recounted in her letter that she had caused the death of two individuals twenty years ago, after drinking and driving into the patio of a nightclub, a transgression for which she received an 8-year sentence.

Writing of Komoroski, M.A.C spoke of her own palpable remorse and said: 'I know that while she never intended this tragedy to happen, she is in a state of deep sorrow, regret and remorse and will be forevermore.

'The life that was taken can never be given back and I know without a doubt that no amount of prison time can change that. She has taken full responsibility, and I know changes in her own personal growth have been implemented daily.'

But, like Samantha's mother, Judge Jefferson remained unmoved by the efforts and handed down not the minimal sentence for which Komoroski with her guilty plea hoped, but the maximum sentence available.

Speaking after the decision, Komoroski's attorney Chris Gramiccioni said that although the sentencing was 'top of the range' they respected the sentence handed down.

He said: 'Obviously, as you can imagine, she is disappointed in the verdict, but she has accomplished the one goal that she wanted to accomplish throughout this entire process.

'She got to do what she wanted today, which was accept responsibility, fall on her sword because obviously that is part of the healing not just for the families of the victims but also for her.'