Thirty-five year old Brett Maynard of James Island was a passenger in a vehicle crossing the James Island Connector when he was murdered by drunk driver Amy McCormick.
Police say Amy McCormick 37 who is no stranger to police, was driving on the wrong side of the road heading east in the west bound lane. Her car hit the car Maynard was riding in head on around 1:30 a.m. Sunday Morning.
The accident killed Maynard a popular chef who had spent the night working at 39 Rue de Jean and sent his wife Jill who was driving to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
The couple had finished work and were on their way home when McCormick entered the connector from Folly Road in the wrong direction after a long night of heavy drinking that included drug use.
Charleston City Police say McCormick had her infant child in the back seat during the accident. Conflicting reports have emerged about the child. The Post and Courier reported: "McCormick's infant was in the car with her but was secured in a child seat and not injured." While other sources have claimed the young boy has a fractured spine and is in critical condition at MUSC.
McCormick is now facing two counts of felony DUI, one count of child endangerment and is expected to be charged with one count of felony death by vehicle. This is not her first arrest.
Police are interviewing friends of McCormick to see if additional charges and arrests are warranted.
December 3, 2008 Update: Charleston Police and the Solicitor's office are saying little about the case against Amy McCormick except that she remains at MUSC in good condition and has been formally charged with 3 counts of Felony DUI and one count of child endangerment. Jill Maynard was released from the Medical University Hospital Wednesday afternoon.
Link to the Post and Courier Story and Comments
24 comments:
Are "facts" open to attribution? Where did you get the information about "heavy drug use"? And where do you get off using the word "murder" in the headline? I don't know the woman or any of the parties involved, but I know journalism, and as shaky as some of the work P&C produces, you do the community a disservice by posting your unsubstantiated opinion under the guise of news.
Looks to me like Cedar called it dead on!
You know I'm no fancy english expert or anything, but she was in the wrong lane on a four way highway with a divider, drunk, and she killed somebody. Merriam's definition for murder is: the crime of unlawfully killing a person especially with malice aforethought. While the definition says "especially with aforethought" it does not say that it is required. So in conclusion she was breaking the law and in doing so killed somebody, thus "unlawfully killing a person" has been committed. Im not quite sure how or why you would defend her acts. While legally its not murder, morally it is.
She is a" murderer",drinking & driving, " No Excuse"
I was in the car directly behind Jill and Brett, when it took the impact of this Drunk Driver, and I am sickened by the fact that an Innocent Man headed home is dead, and his family and friends are gravely impacted for the rest of their lives. There was no way for them to see this car coming, as they came to the top of the highest point of the bridge. When the drunk driver came too, she had NO Concern for the wellware of her child in the backseat. And next my thoughts went to WHO let this girl get behind the wheel? She came from somewhere. Come ON people take some responsiblity to stop a friend from becoming a murderer.
The Maynard Family are in my prayers! My 18 year old daughter was in a fatal car accident back in August that involved the death of her 18 year old boyfriend. The driver that hit them had also been drinking.Please folks, if you are going to drink, stay home!
--Where did you get the information about "heavy drug use"?
I can say that I have lived here my whole life and travel the connectore every single day and for some idiot to be going the wrong way on it there had to be some heavy drug use going on.
--And where do you get off using the word "murder" in the headline?
Maybe it's just me but when you drink yourself into a state where you can't make a responsible decision and end up killing an innocent person because of it then you are a murderer! What should she be called? A MARTYR?
--I don't know the woman or any of the parties involved
For some reason I doubt this.
--but I know journalism, and as shaky as some of the work P&C produces, you do the community a disservice by posting your unsubstantiated opinion under the guise of news.
And you do the community a disservice by caring more about how an article is worded than by actually discussing why it happened, where our society is going wrong, and what we should do as people to accept responsibility for our actions!
FYI: that picture is not correct.
The report was of heavy drinking and drug use. Neither is acceptable.
Murder isn't fair?
What would you call it if I took my baseball bat and crushed your skull?
How about 10,000 baseball bats?
That's how much force hit the Maynards' car.
I'm looking for just one SC State Representative to stand up for those who don't drink and drive and sponsor a Zero tolerance bill, lowering the blood alcohol limit to .01
This woman should be charged with murder and 2 counts of attempted murder. End of story. I've know Jill & Brett both for a long time and this is the most horrific tragedy I've heard of in my 9 years in Charleston. My heart goes out to Jill & The Maynards. While Jill may recover physically, no one could ever recover mentally from this unthinkable and intolerable crime inflicted upon her and her family.
The news is wrong, as are the reports online. The baby was hurt very badly - he is in the hospital - broken neck and will need surgery to maybe be able to walk again. Hopefully, they lock her up and the baby can live in peace away from this sick and evil person. Such a sad day - May peace be with all families involved and hopefully Amy will rott in hell!
Our thoughts and prayers go out to the entire Maynard family and friends. Someone let this person drive drunk. As far as I am concerned that person or persons are accomplices to this tragedy and should be held accountable. Whoever that person or persons are I hope a day does not go buy that they don't remember that they could have prevented this tragic lose from happening. To forgive is one thing but to forget is unacceptable.
Agree with the above, Someone is aware that Amy was not capable of driving. I want to hear that story. You can not tell me that you are reading these stories? have some thought of What If. Jill should not be questioning What if, someone owes her, and all of Brett's families explanation how they do not hold themselves responsible for letting a driver under the influence drive.
Please show us your thoughts. come forward.
I am a member of the Maynard family and this is the most unfair tragedy I could ever imagine. Not only have we lost someone who was so incredibly opinionated and spectacularly caring for those he loved and loved by us, but this woman has actually given her own child a death sentence.
Her son is not expected to make it after all. we found out today the he fractured his spine due to the impact of the accident and is not likely to make it. This selfish horrible woman is a murderer. She killed 2 people in a real sense and took another woman's entire life away because she was mad at her husband and was wanted to leave him, drunk, AT 1:00 IN THE MORNING WITH HER 3 YEAR OLD SON! It is incredibly sickening, not just for us, but for the family of Amy and her son. I feel for them because they did not ask for this either. My heart goes out to everyone except her.
None of us can say we haven't made stupid mistakes, but I would never drive, drunk,and drunk with my child, or anyone else's child.
She took part of our lives away and IT IS murder.
It's murder in the most real manner it could ever be. she might has well taken a gun to someone's head...blind murder to a family who has already dealt with a lifetime of undeserved sorrow.
Who cares how the article was written. Brett died because he leaned over to protect his wife who he loved more than his own life, and he payed the ultimate price for this woman's belligerence...she murdered him.
all of you who are worried about the wording of a newspaper article, think about where your worries would be if you lost your brother, sister/ BEST FRIEND who has been with you your whole life.
Do you really care about an article or do you care about what just happened to your family?
from the accident scene, since that night I could not get over the position of where Brett was at in the car. it didn't make sense to me.
I have to believe that comment from the family member above that he was making an attempt to shield his wife.
I am more sickened by the fact that the young child is hurt so bad. It only makes sense as well to take the much impact from a front facing child seat.
How can this woman, Amy McCormick, and those that knew she was under the influence live with themselves.?
As a friend of the Maynard family my heart is crushed. All anger aside, the focus should turn towards helping the Maynard family cope with this horrific tragedy. May they know that they do not carry this burden alone, that we are all here with them and that Brett will always remain in our memories. The healing process will be long and hard...let us do everything in our power to share the burden with the Maynard family...they are going to need their friends and family more than ever in the months to come.
I have to concur with the idea that the wording over the article is really posted in poor taste.
After reading the family member post it says it all.
How drunk are you to enter the Highway the WRONG WAY?!
Brett was a loving caring person, who was part of an amazing group of people who care deeply for one another.
You are all in our hearts at this tragic time. You are loved. I am holding every sarcastic comment of Brett's close to my heart. Jill may your physical recovery be quick, as I know your heart will take some time to mend.
I write this with much love for the entire Maynard family. This tragedy breaks my heart and I can only imagine what it has done to yours.
It was Murder no less than if she pointed a gun and pulled the trigger.
I am lucky to say that I had the opportunity to work with Chef Maynard. Brett was an incredibly talented chef, am amazing guy, as well as my mentor while working side by side with him in the kitchen.I learned so much from Chef Maynard and will cherish everything he taught me. He had such a passion for food. Brett will be dearly missed and can still not believe that he is gone. He is someone that I will always look up to, and consider a great friend. My thoughts and prayers go out for him and his family. I hope that Amy will never see daylight ever again and suffer from what she has done to such a wonderful man and family, as well as her child. This was such a selfish act, that could of been prevented. RIP Brett, you will be missed so very much.
When selfish, alcohol-related tragedies occur to those we all knew and loved and the innocence of the victims lost is palpable, it is time to examine ourselves and realize- Too many people in Charleston get drunk and drive! Too many people in Charleston get away with drunk driving every day and the results are horribly evident! Don't get drunk and drive. It's not that fucking hard.
Get your facts straight, since when is a prescription antidepressant considered to be "drug use"? The police report said she was on prozac. That is not only dramatic, but also false reporting. You should be ashamed of yourself. Your dramatic reporting also comments about the force with which she hit his car. The police report ALSO stated that she was going the speed limit. Simple physics will tell you that when 2 cars are approaching one another at a said speed, the impact is always greater than the actual speed they were going should the driver have hit a stationary object.
By the way, the officer on the scene said that Brett was not wearing a seatbelt. Let that be a lesson to us all.
To the poster above:
I hope this worthless excuse of a human being dies in prison. This nasty cunt should just die and save us all the pain of dealing with her crap.
How low can the low life of West Ashely go just ask Amy McWhoremick.
Don't forget the crash of 1952!
All four people got killed in the crash that involves two cars collide.
I hope they have to forgive Norman Wesley Bagley and Theodore Robert Eshom for causing the crash.
I was locked up with Amy and seeing someone go through such tragedy puts a different perspective on things...yes if it were my family member I would feel many emotions and no sympathy for McCormick BUT having spent close one on one time with her for 32 days in a very small cell allows you to truly get to know your roommate in and out whether they want you to or not. I WAS LOCKED UP 18 MONTHS WITH HER....her face showed remorse every minute of every day. No joking..no laughing..no small talk...she truly is in remorse and I believe having not only has she hurt bretts family but her own and with that she will forever be filled with regret and heartache. I'm sorry for the loss of Mr.Maynard. Amy was at fault but for her to continue living sober and possibly even speak out to those who may be going down that same path she did we mist forgive her. Nothing can bring back Brett but we can definitely help prevent inncodents like this from happening to other families if we simply forgive...speak out...and stop the hate. My name is Heather Rish. Thanks to those for not just reading the words in my post but listening.
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