For the second time this week, a judge has denied a Springfield woman’s request for bond while her attorney appeals her case.
Corina Stockstill, 33, is in the Greene County Jail, awaiting transport to a Missouri prison.
Stockstill was found guilty of two counts of involuntary manslaughter in a bench trial in June 2023. Stockstill was driving while intoxicated on Dec. 26, 2016 — nearly seven years ago — and caused a crash that left two people dead.
Greene County Presiding Judge Jerry Harmison sentenced Stockstill to five years in prison on Oct. 10.
At the sentencing hearing, defense attorney Joseph Passanise asked Harmison for an appeal bond so Stockstill could avoid going to prison while Passanise appeals her case. Passanise told the judge Stockstill has no close, living relatives who could care for her two children, ages 5 and 15.
Harmison denied the request on Tuesday, saying Stockstill had nearly seven years to prepare for sentencing.
Harmison denied a similar bond request at a motion hearing on Oct. 13, pointing out that Stockstill was found guilty four months ago.
“She had time to figure out what to do with the children,” Harmison said. “This motion is denied.”
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 did his best to move it to a conclusion.
Parents of victim want to thank judge
Thomas and Linda Emmett’s 32-year-old son Dustin Emmett was among the victims who died in the crash seven years ago. Dustin Emmett was driving home around 10:30 that night when his vehicle was struck head on by the vehicle driven by Stockstill, who had crossed the centerline.
Thomas and Linda Emmett moved far away from Springfield shortly after their son’s death.
“It was almost immediately after that, we just sold the house and all the stuff,” Thomas Emmett said in a phone interview from his Florida home. “It was almost like, ‘Well, we don’t even want to be here anymore,’ to be there in Springfield, because we just couldn’t hardly take it. The memories and the house and all the stuff — after that happened. We just thought we don’t need to be here anymore.”
The Emmetts never attended any of Stockstill’s court dates or hearings and avoided seeing any photos of the woman who caused their son’s death. It wasn’t until the Emmetts read about the sentencing in the Hauxeda that they saw Stockstill’s jail mugshot.
A friend of theirs who still lives in Springfield attended every hearing and kept the grieving parents informed about what was happening with the case.
The Emmetts said the case dragging out for nearly seven years has been incredibly difficult for the family. They were relieved Harmison was assigned to the case and put an end to the defense’s repeated requests for continuances.
“It’s been really rough because you are always on pins and needles all the time wondering what is going on and what is next,” Thomas Emmett said.
The Emmetts described their son as a “great kid” who loved animals and worked as a phlebotomist at Mercy Hospital in Springfield. After Dustin Emmett died, Thomas and Linda Emmett inherited his two beloved dogs, Coco and Haddie.
“They came to Florida with us. It was kind of nice to have them around because they were Dustin’s dogs,” Linda Emmett said. “They’ve both passed. They were such good dogs. They were part of our family.”
Asked how he felt about the five-year prison sentence given to Stockstill, Thomas Emmett said “it is what it is.”
“No sentence will ever bring my son back. We are thankful that we have closure,” he said. “The judge is to be commended for his fast action on this long, long journey we’ve all been through. Thank you, Judge Harmison.”
Judge says woman is out of time
At the motion hearing Friday, Passinise told the judge that Children’s Division “took action” because no one has been named legal guardian of the children. Passinise said a friend of Stockstill’s is working on becoming their guardian.
Harmison, the judge, said he’s been contacted by the children’s fathers’ and/or their fathers’ family members (the children have different fathers). Harmison said he has not responded to them because guardianship of the children is not a matter he has any control over.
Greene County First Assistant Prosecutor Emily Shook said she’s also been contacted by family members of the children.
Shook argued Stockstill had plenty of time to figure out who would care for her children if and when Stockstill was sentenced to prison.
“She could have done that and it would have been in her control,” Shook said Friday.
About the crash
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, Dustin Emmett, also died as a result of injuries from the crash.
Stockstill cried throughout the two-hour sentencing hearing on Oct. 10. She did not attend the motion hearing Oct. 13.
Prosecutor: ‘That’s not remorse’
At the initial sentencing hearing, 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 2023.
“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.”
At the hearing Tuesday, Shook argued that Stockstill has not taken any responsibility or shown remorse. 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 at the time of the crash — 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.
Passinise, who was recently hired to represent Stockstill through the sentencing and appeal process, disagreed.
“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.”
