President Donald Trump pardoned a woman last week for her role in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack, but she was sentenced to 17 years in jail on Wednesday for her role in a fatal drunken driving crash.
Emily Hernandez of Missouri rose to prominence after holding up a shattered placard containing then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s name, which was stolen during the Jan. 6 revolt. She turned herself in to federal police in 2022 after being identified as a rioter and was sentenced to 30 days in prison. Hernandez was among the 1,500 people pardoned by Trump last week.
However, six days before Hernandez was supposed to plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge of entering and remaining in a restricted building, she was involved in a deadly accident.
In January 2022, Hernandez collided with an SUV while driving the wrong way down Interstate 44’s eastbound lanes. Victoria Wilson, 32, was killed in the crash. Ryan Wilson, 36, sustained major injuries and continues to walk with a cane, according to the St. Louis Dispatch.
A Franklin County judge sentenced Hernandez to ten years in prison for Victoria Wilson’s death and seven years for Ryan Wilson’s damage.
Hernandez had a blood-alcohol concentration of.20% after the crash, according to officials, which is more than double the state’s legal limit.
“Probation is not appropriate given the nature of what happened,” Judge Ryan Helfrich stated.
“What I did was ungodly, and I will live with that shame for the rest of my life,” Hernandez said during her sentencing, according to the newspaper. “I am sorry for what I did and if I could take it all back, I would.”
