Nearly seven years after a Springfield woman drove while intoxicated and caused a crash that left two people dead, she was sentenced to five years in prison on Tuesday, Oct. 10.
Corina Stockstill, 33, was found guilty of two counts of involuntary manslaughter in bench trial in June.
Greene County Presiding Judge Jerry Harmison sentenced Stockstill to five years in prison for each count of manslaughter, but those sentences will run concurrently.
According to prosecutors, Stockstill was driving under the influence of alcohol around 10:30 p.m. Dec. 23, 2016 and crossed the centerline of Farm Road 159 in front of an oncoming vehicle, causing a collision.
Stockstill’s passenger, Nicholas Thomas, 37, died after he was ejected from the truck.
The driver of the oncoming vehicle, 32-year-old Dustin Emmett, also died as a result of injuries from the crash.
Stockstill cried throughout the two-hour sentencing hearing Tuesday. Her attorney, Joseph S. Passanise, told the judge that Stockstill has two young children and no close, living relatives who can care for them.
Before reading his decision, Harmison told the victims’ friends and families in the courtroom that he realizes this case has gone on for a long time. Harmison “inherited” the case from retired Judge Calvin Holden about a year ago. When Harmison got the case and saw how long it had been going on, he said he did his best to move it to a conclusion.
Harmison explained that all of the cases he’s inherited from retiring judges have been felony cases, and that he’s seen and heard some pretty troubling cases in this last year.
“This is probably the hardest decision I’ve had to make in the past year,” Harmison said. “If there was something magical about this black robe, I would change that day for everyone.”
Under Missouri law, a person commits the crime of involuntary manslaughter if they are found to, “recklessly cause the death of another person.”
Victim’s mother: ‘You never get over the death of a child’
Nicholas Thomas’ mother, Paulette Thomas, was among those who gave victims' impact statements at the sentencing hearing in Springfield. She thanked the judge for moving the case to a resolution.
“There were often times we thought we would never see this day,” Thomas said. “We just kept getting that Band-Aid ripped off. That’s 2,482 days, 81 months and 17 days, six years and nine months and 17 days.
“I still have a difficult time talking about him without crying,” she continued. “People often ask me how many children I have. [...] I’m not sure what to say.
“You never get over the death of a child,” Thomas said. “You learn to get through it.”
Paultette Thomas then directed her comments to Stockstill. According to information presented at the hearing Tuesday, Stockstill testified that Nicholas Thomas was assaulting Stockstill at the time of the crash — contrary to prosecutor's evidence that the crash was due to Stockstill’s intoxication.
“To perjure yourself on the stand about someone you claimed to have feelings about when he couldn’t defend himself,” Paulette Thomas said to Stockstill, “shame on you.”
Prosecutor: ‘Stockstill doesn’t take responsibility for her actions’
Greene County First Assistant Prosecutor Emily Shook asked for a sentence of 10 years for each count of manslaughter with the sentences to run concurrently.
Shook said it’s important to send a message to the public that drinking and driving is not tolerated in this community.
“Greene County, Missouri is a place where this offense is taken seriously,” Shook said, adding that reputation is a reason why people have designated drivers and use rideshare services like Uber.
“If you take a life, it is appropriate you spend some time in prison,” Shook said.
Shook argued that Stockstill has not taken any responsibility for her actions. Shook said the case has dragged out for so long because the defense has filed motions to continue “over and over.”
Shook said Stockstill claimed law enforcement officers were lying about what happened before the crash. On the witness stand at trial, Stockstill blamed her passenger, testifying that Nicholas Thomas was assaulting her and controlling the gas pedal, brakes and steering wheel — a story Stockstill had never shared before until the trial.
“She told the court she was essentially a victim,” Shook said. “That’s not remorse.”
“Ms. Stockstill doesn’t take responsibility for her actions and she doesn’t tell the truth,” Shook said.
A woman named Ashely read a letter from Dustin Emmett’s sister, who lives in Las Vegas and was unable to attend the hearing.
“Not a day goes by I don’t think about my dear brother,” Emmett’s sister wrote in part. She wrote that a letter explaining how much her brother meant to her “could be a mile long.”
Emmett's sister also wrote that the winter holiday season is now a time of sorrow and grief for their family, and she is afraid to drive at night now, fearing a drunk driver could cross the center line and hit her vehicle.
“He was only 32 and had his whole life ahead of him,” Emmett’s sister wrote.
Defense attorney: ‘This has had a tremendous impact on her’
Passanise was hired after the trial to represent Stockstill during the sentencing phase.
Passanise asked his client be given probation. He asked the judge to consider community service or shock time in Greene County jail rather than prison time. He told the judge that his client wants to share her story with others to discourage drinking and driving.
“This has had a tremendous impact on her and continues as she has to get up and face what she did almost seven years ago,” Passanise said. “To say there is no remorse, to say there is no accountability is not fair.”
Passanise described Stockstill as “hard working” and “faith based.”
“She lives with this horrific tragedy day in and day out,” Passanise said.
Stockstill read from a prepared statement, but she was sometimes difficult to hear from the courtroom gallery.
“My heart breaks for everyone who suffered a loss,” she said, adding that she often has flashbacks to the crash.
She said she wants to volunteer at Harmony House, a shelter for victims of domestic violence, and for I Pour Life, a faith-based program that helps kids who are aging out of the Missouri foster care system.
“I know this is the calling God has for my life,” Stockstill said.
Shook, the prosecutor, pushed back on Passanise’s suggestion that Stockstill was the “poster child” for the Safe and Sober program (a Springfield-based group that works to prevent substance misuse) or that sharing her story would discourage people from drinking and driving.
“According to her statements, she wasn’t drunk and it wasn’t her fault,” Shook said, adding that Stockstill claims “everybody else is lying” and that a person who drives while intoxicated and causes a crash that kills two people should be given probation.
Harmison denied Passanise’s request for bond while his client files an appeal.
“She had seven years to prepare,” Harmison said. “We were here today for sentencing. She should have been prepared.”
Stockstill was sent to the Greene County Jail, awaiting transportation to a Missouri Department of Corrections prison. Per Missouri law, she must complete 85 percent of the sentence before she will become eligible for parole.
