A woman who expressed remorse for an Easter Sunday hit-and-run crash that left five people dead, including three children, was released from prison after serving 14 years of her 36-year sentence.
Aimee Michael was 22 when authorities said she caused the April 12, 2009, chain-reaction wreck on Camp Creek Parkway before fleeing the scene and trying to cover it up with the help of her mother.
Reached by phone Friday afternoon, Michael’s father called the wreck a tragedy that devastated the lives of everyone involved. He requested privacy for his wife and daughter, saying his family is trying to move on from what he described as their “dark past.”
“We just want our peace,” he said. “We’ve been through hell, and we’re still trying to heal as a family.”
Kathy Smith said she is still coping with the grief that came with losing her daughter, son-in-law and two grandchildren 16 years ago. The wreck also claimed the life of a 6-year-old girl who was riding in another car.
The southwest Atlanta woman went through years of therapy and said she leaned heavily on her friends and her faith to help deal with the loss. But Smith said this Easter will be especially difficult for her family after learning Michael was released from prison.
“Nobody told me anything,” Smith said. “I found out two days ago when my daughter’s friend called and said he saw it on social media.”
During her emotional sentencing in 2010, Michael, then 24, apologized for the pain she caused.
“I want to say I am wrong,” she said, tears rolling down her cheeks. “I have wronged three families, and for that I am sorry.”
The presiding judge, Kimberly M. Esmond Adams, also wiped away tears, her voice wavering as she called it “by far the most tragic case I have ever seen.”
A recent graduate of the University of Pittsburgh, Michael was on an ice cream run to Publix in her parents’ BMW when she swerved into a silver Mercedes next to her, causing both cars to spin out of control and cross the median into oncoming traffic, according to police.
The Mercedes crashed head-on into a tan Volkswagen Beetle.
Smith’s daughter, Delisia Carter, and son-in-law, Robert, were both killed in the crash, along with the couple’s 2-month-old son, Ethan Carter, and Delisia’s 9-year-old daughter, Kayla Lemons.
Credit: Contributed
Credit: Contributed
In the Volkswagen, Morgan Johnson, 6, was killed. Her mother, Tracie, survived but suffered broken legs, a broken hip and collarbone, and damage to her spleen and liver, prosecutors said at trial.
For the next 10 days, police searched frantically for the gold BMW, using pieces of the car that were ripped away in the crash to identify it. After receiving tips from suspicious neighbors, an officer spotted it in the driveway of the Michaels’ south Fulton County home, its body repaired and smelling of fresh paint.
Hours later, Michael went to police headquarters with her mother and grandmother to give an interview. She initially denied any involvement in the crash, claiming the car was damaged when it was purchased at auction, according to a video recording played for jurors. But she ultimately admitted she was in the crash and that she fled the scene and had the vehicle repaired.
Her mother, Sheila Michael, was an Atlanta elementary school teacher at the time. She helped pay for the car repairs and drove it from the body shop. Two days before her daughter’s trial, the woman pleaded guilty to tampering with evidence and hindering the apprehension of a criminal.
Credit: Bob Andres, bandres@ajc.com
Credit: Bob Andres, bandres@ajc.com
Aimee Michael was granted parole and released from prison in December, records show. A spokesman for Georgia’s Board of Pardons and Paroles said Michael had been eligible for parole since 2017, but remained behind behind bars another seven years.
He said the board found “reasonable probability” Michael would not violate state law and noted she will remain on supervision through the end of her sentence in 2045. He also said the Georgia Office of Victim Services notifies victims if they are registered with the office.
Smith said she was blindsided by the news of Aimee Michael’s release, which she said triggered an immediate panic attack. She said she is still healing from the trauma of losing her loved ones and didn’t expect to learn of Michael’s release just before Easter.
“I was getting better. Now it’s like the wound is open again,” she told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “They gave her 36 years, you know? Why didn’t she do 36 years? Five people died. Five.”
About the Author
Keep Reading
The Latest
Featured
