Woman gets 15-to-life for DUI fatal crash
By DENISSE SALAZAR and LARRY WELBORN
2010-04-30 12:54:23

SANTA ANA – A young Santa Ana woman apologized moments before she was sentenced to 15-years-to-life Friday for killing a popular ice hockey player in an early morning crash in La Habra more than a year ago in which her alcohol level was three times the legal limit.

Brittany Deanne Schuetz, 21, who had previously been convicted of drunken driving in 2007, was found guilty of killing 26-year-old April Junhee Whang in the Feb. 1, 2009, crash in La Habra.

April Whang's family and friends – wearing black T-shirts with April's name and hockey number – filled the courtroom gallery.

During an emotional victim-impact statement April Whang's younger sister told the court she was a great friend, a great daughter and an even greater sister.

"I wake up everyday so sure that it was all a horrible dream but shortly after I succumb to a numbness that only comes when I realize that April really is gone," Kimberly Whang said.

April Whang's boyfriend said he thinks of her – his soul mate –– every day.

"There will never be another April. Never be a second chance. I'll miss her all my life."

Schuetz tearfully apologized to the Whang family before Superior Court Judge Richard F. Toohey sentenced her.

"I'm sorry. I know no amount of words is going to bring April back...I'm sorry for my selfishness," Schuetz said as she sobbed.

Whang's family cried as Schuetz looked at them and repeated she was sorry.

"It's such a mix of emotions. I'm angry obviously, but I feel sorry for her too," Kimberly Whang said. "She not only ruined our lives, our sister's life, but her own life."

During the trial, witnesses testified that Schuetz consumed several drinks at a party in Sherman Oaks on Jan. 31, 2009, and was driven by her friends to Whittier. Schuetz then got behind the wheel of her Mazda to drive home, brushing off her friends' pleas that she was in no condition to drive.

Shortly after midnight, Schuetz sped through the intersection at Beach Boulevard and Imperial Highway against a red light and slammed into an Acura Integra driven by Whang who was driving through on a green light. The impact of the crash knocked Whang from the driver's seat to the cargo area of her 2004 Acura Integra.

When La Habra police arrived, they found Schuetz sitting in the driver's seat of her car with a strong odor of alcohol on her breath, bloodshot and watery eyes, and unable to answer basic questions.

Tests taken later revealed that she had a blood-alcohol level of 0.24 percent - three times the legal limit, Deputy District Attorney Susan Price said.

Schuetz attended and completed alcohol awareness classes after a 2007 drunken-driving conviction, where she was warned about the dangers of drinking and driving, Price added.

In February, Schuetz was convicted of second-degree murder under the legal theory that she knew drinking and driving was dangerous to life – because of a prior drunken driving conviction –– but did it anyway.

Defense attorney Dave Dziejowski called the collision an enormous tragedy for both the victim and his client.

He said that Schuetz had made plans earlier in the evening for someone else to drive her home, but those plans fell through and she decided to drive herself. Dziejowski said Schuetz did not have a conscious disregard of life when she got behind the wheel.

Whang, an ice hockey player and former figure skater, died at the scene –– about a mile from her home in Fullerton –– due to multiple traumatic injuries. She worked as a store manager at The Rinks Anaheim Ice.

"This is one step closer to moving on," Kimberly Whang said after the sentencing.

Following the sentencing, Schuetz family embraced outside the courtroom.

"We are just praying for them and we are sorry," said Schuetz' mother, Janice LaChance.

Not enough time.

Sounds about right.

Sad so many young lives are affected.

Hopefully when she gets out she is better from it.

I agree 15 years is not enough.

Booking photo




After finding out she's doing 15-years







Seems to me she's more upset about going to prison than she was about killing someone.

Couldn't agree more...

She looks like she's been tweaking in jail, if you compare the booking pic to the sentancing pics.

I knew a guy who killed 2 people in a fatal dui.  He got 5 years.  Served the time and then died 3 months later of an aneuryism.   Sometimes things have a way of working out.

I've seen several get one year in county jail for the same. They pretty much threw the book at this one.

Too true. Very rough.

 

Did I make a mistake:  the article says she got 15 years to life.

Yeah, I was gunna say, she looks like a hardcore alcoholic. I hope that bitch can't sleep at night knowing she took a life due to her irresponsibility.

Uhhh huhhhhh. This girl has seen some chemical intake I believe.



 

She got convicted of second degree murder

at least shes alive, the punishments should be harsher.  

about 5 years ago a dumbass drunk driver t-boned a mini van, killed a family's 4 children, ages 1 to 8.  he received 5 year sentence for each run consecutively.  thats 20 years for a 20 year old guy for the lives of 4 innocent children.  it should be a death penalty.  I don't drink.

She strikes me as the kind of gal that drove wasted ALOT, but got "lucky" in that she was only caught a couple of times. Looking at her, she's been partying pretty damn hard for being all of 21. Drunks that have killed someone have received less, so my guess is the judge knows a little something we don't. My guess again, is that this chick partied HARD and there was nothing that was going to stop her from driving. She didn't care.



15 years is about right. Definitely no less than that. The victim is gone for good, so it's not much of a stretch to suggest that 15 years isn't long enough.

Fuck.  

That.

Bitch.

15 years sounds about right second offense which caused a fatality.

She is 21?



She looks at least 41.

BTW, 0.24 is pretty damned wasted. You KNOW you're too fucked to drive, at 0.24.





Using the BAC charts that are commonly available, 1 beer every 15 minutes puts me right at .08. I drink quite a bit, but I can feel it (.08 really isn't as "light" as many people think. It's still a decent buzz, unless you're a full on alcoholic). If I slammed 10 beers in an hour, I'd be at .19. Even 12 beers wouldn't put me as high as she was.





If I drank 12 beers inside an hour, I'd be FUCKED UP.



Men and women are different, and your weight has to be taken into account. But the point is, when I drink enough to get me at .24, I'm worthless. She probably had difficulty even seeing straight, or walking.
 

My point was that a lot of posts are insinuating she only got 15 years and she should have gotten more.  I think they missed the "to life" part.

 

Pretty sure they don't let you put makeup on before they haul your ass to court and transport chains.  I'd also guess her stay in lockup was not pleasant, she brought it on herself.

She will get parole on the the first try, she is not a violent offender.

I'm pretty sure her she has make-up on in her booking photo.



She looks old as hell in it.



She looks like meth head in her court picture.



She is a haggard 21....before and after.



 

Why do they say "15" to life? Is it 15 years in prison or life?

15 minimum IIRC.

Minimum 15, and she'll be eligible for parole. Technically, they could decide to never parole her and she'd die in prison.





I doubt she'll serve life. At some point, in her 40's, they're going to let her out. That's my take, anyway. If I'm wrong, somebody will be along shortly to correct me.





 

The earlies that she is eligible for release is 15 years.



ETA: Only beat by a little bit.

One of our local shitstains went down to Florida, and ended getting drunk, then crashed into her. He only got seven years (IIRC). He should have got more, but daddy is rich, and threw a whole bunch of money towards his defense. The kid is a piece of shit, and deserves to rot in hell.

This was on the major news stations back in Korea. Sad...

Prove it.

I couldn't even do it with beer, I'd have to go straight for the scotch or bourbon. Even the thought of doing a shot every 5 minutes for an hour (which still wouldn't put me at .24) gives me the shudders.






That chick was tore the fuck up. What gets me, are those stories you occasionally read here, where our LE members recount their worst offenders. A couple of guys here have cuffed drunks at over .30. It boggles the mind.



 

No makeup + higher res photos.

She still looks like hell for a 21 year old, even in her crappy booking shot.

Look at her booking photo. She looks pretty alert for .24 BAC.

I wonder how long she's been hitting the booze and how much of a tolerance she has.

While this guy gets one fucking month in jail for DUI manslaughter.

Yep.

By the time she got there, she was nowhere near .24. She was probably well on her way to being sober (with a nasty hangover), by the time the photo was taken.





It was a fatal crash. The police aren't going to be there immediately, when they finally get there it's going to take a little while before she's even close to being cuffed (30 minutes, at least), she no doubt sat in the car for a while as they were finishing up other stuff (fatal crash, and all), then there's the ride to the station, yada yada.
 

yeah, she doesn't look 21 to me

 

Wouldn't  be surprised if it was well before her 40s when she gets out.

This.  I've read right here about alcoholics showing up in the ER with alcohol levels that would kill a normal person.

 

We had a guy come into the ER who was close to .40 and was still coherent and carrying on a conversation. That's what I call a professional drunk.



 

No shit.

Oh, and in before the drunk drivers.

Around here they get em' tested pretty quick. If there's no medical reason to prevent the use of a breathalyzer they'll get it done while the firemen and medics are helping the victims.

Blood extraction would happen within 1/2 hour. Judges don't mind being awakened to sign warrants for fatal DUI. She might not be .24 at the time of the photo, but her numbers would still be pretty high.

I don't think I could even stand at .24. I doubt I could stand at .15, but I'm not a professional drinker like her.

The (albeit short) lifetime of booze, and possibly other drugs', abuse didn't help either methinks.  

Reminds me of the case of Ricardo Adalpe Guerra, an illegal alien, who murdered  Houston PD Officer James Harris back in 1982.  In 1997, he was released from TX death row when his case was overturned on a technicality.  He returned to Mexico and was killed after being hit head on by a Mack truck on a Mexican highway 2 weeks later.  

I just wanted to leave this thread a story with a happy ending.