A South Carolina woman has confessed to the fatal crash that claimed the lives of 17-year-old identical twins and their friend. The incident occurred while she was joyriding in a stolen Hummer, under the influence of THC gummies and Adderall. She will face decades behind bars for her actions.
On Monday, Melissa Ann Parker, 46, received a sentence of 25 years in prison and was mandated to pay a fine of $25,100 for her involvement in the deaths of twins Elleana Lee Gaddis and Isabella Lee Gaddis, along with 18-year-old Brianna Lynn Foster. One more teenager managed to survive the accident. Parker received a sentence after admitting guilt to charges that included DUI resulting in death, assault and battery, grand larceny, and hit-and-run.
“This never should have happened — taking drugs and driving is the same as drinking and driving,” 7th Circuit Court Solicitor Barry Barnette said in a statement.
“In this case, Parker’s decision to mix THC gummies with Adderall and then get behind the wheel of a stolen car led to an absolute nightmare situation and the death of three young women.”
The newspaper reported that Parker’s attorney, Andrew Johnston, stated: “On the night of this tragedy, Melissa had a psychotic episode and tried to self-treat with THC gummies. She lost touch with reality and believed she had to run for her life in a stolen vehicle. In her panic, she drove onto the Interstate the wrong way. Three young girls died as a result. Melissa accepted full responsibility for her actions. We believe the sentence was appropriate both for the harm she inflicted and the rare circumstances of this case.”
Two teenagers lost their lives at 2 a.m. on August 16, 2021, in the vicinity of Spartanburg. The adventure began when Paker climbed into a Hummer that had been left unattended in a gas station parking lot. According to the Spartanburg Herald-Journal, she briefly took a joyride in the parking lot, attempted to strike a police officer at a nearby Waffle House, and then sped away.
While driving in the wrong lanes of traffic on I-26 near Inman, in northwest South Carolina, she collided head-on with the Kia sedan carrying the girls. The girls perished at the location. Parker fled but was swiftly apprehended.
Maci Watts, at the age of 17, was the sole survivor in the vehicle occupied by the girls.
“I got out of the car, and I stood up and started screaming for help,” she told Indianapolis Fox affiliate WXIN. “I found out later the defendant had crawled out of her car and ran away.”
Family and friends were heartbroken.
“They did not deserve this. They had their whole lives ahead of them,” Jodi Foster, Brianna Fosters’ mother, told CBS affiliate WTTV in Indianapolis, where the girls were from.
“They definitely did not deserve to go this soon,” Laci Bannon, a friend and classmate of the twins at Hamilton Southeastern Fishers Academy, told the outlet. “They were about to graduate. They were so close, and their lives got taken way too soon.”
Andy Gaddis, the father of the twins, was filled with sorrow.
“They were identical twins,” he told WXIN. “They came in together, and I hope they were asleep, but I am glad they went out together.”