Newly released footage shows drunk driver Jamie Komoroski speaking with police in the aftermath of the crash that killed a bride on her wedding night, including the moments before officers allowed her emotional request to call her father.
The latest release has also pushed earlier footage back into the spotlight, with clips of Komoroski’s father, Charles, drawing widespread attention online after he told his daughter, “bad things happen to good people.”
Komoroski, now 27, was convicted in 2024 on felony charges of driving under the influence resulting in death and reckless homicide. She was sentenced to 25 years in prison for the death of 34-year-old newlywed Samantha Miller.
The deadly collision happened on Folly Island, South Carolina, on the night of April 28, 2023, when Komoroski crashed into the golf cart carrying Miller and members of her wedding party.
Miller was pronounced dead at the scene. Her husband, Aric Hutchinson, and two relatives who were also riding in the cart suffered severe injuries.
The newlyweds had just left their wedding reception, and Miller was still wearing her wedding dress when she was killed.
After her 2023 arrest, Komoroski repeatedly broke down during recorded jailhouse phone and video calls with her father.
In one jailhouse video call, Komoroski could be heard crying to Charles as she said, “I still just don’t know why this had to happen to me.”
Audio and video recordings from jail have generated renewed interest as body camera footage in Jamie Komoroski’s case was recently released
Video from the night of the tragedy sheds light on how a then-25-year-old Komoroski quickly went from distraught to unruly after crashing into the golf cart
Komoroski crashed into a newlywed couple, Samantha Miller and her husband, Aric Hutchinson, on their wedding day. Miller was still in her wedding dress and was pronounced dead at the scene
‘Because bad things happen to good people, honey,’ her doting father replied.
‘It’s just something that happened to you, and we are going to deal with it as best as we can, okay?’ he continued.
Komoroski then confessed that she was ‘scared’ because the media had been ‘so involved’ in her case, questioning, ‘Why are they so involved in it?’
‘That’s not gonna help me. It’s going to be so bad when I get out. Everybody’s going to be so mean to me,’ she added.
‘You got to get tough,’ her father replied.
Komoroski then broke down in tears, crying to her father that she did not want ‘to go away for so, so long.’
He tried to reassure her that her family was doing everything they could, but Komoroski began screaming.
Elsewhere in the call, her father tried to quiet her down as she wailed, ‘oh my god, oh my god, I can’t believe this happened to me.’
‘This is a terrible, terrible accident and it’s all my fault,’ she yelled.
Komoroski’s father told her during a jailhouse call that ‘bad things happen to good people’
The couple was riding in a golf cart, pictured above after the crash, which rolled multiple times and was thrown 100 yards by Komoroski’s vehicle
Her father had also suggested that if she was released on bond, she should go to a rehabilitation center, chastising his daughter for a blood alcohol content reading that was ‘not good.’
Komoroski after the fatal crash in 2023
In another phone call with her father after the incident, Komoroski was heard screaming and hyperventilating, according to a 2023 report by local NBC affiliate WCBD.
Her father insisted that she was not a bad person and that there was no reason to apologize because the crash was an accident.
Resurfaced footage of Komoroski’s father sympathizing with his daughter went viral after new bodycam footage showed her repeatedly asking police to call her dad.
‘I would like the right to call my father right now… Can I please call him?’ she told officers at the precinct after her arrest. ‘I just want to get it over with and go home… can I just call?
Another newly released clip from the night of the arrest revealed Komoroski’s casual behavior during questioning at the precinct.
‘I don’t know about you guys but my allergies have been so bad. This pollen has been killing me,’ she told cops.
She also awkwardly asked one of the officers if they were Filipino, adding, ‘My sister’s boyfriend is Filipino and Hawaiian and Japanese.’
Charles Komoroski had called his daughter multiple times while jail and reassured her that she was not a bad person. He is seen above in exclusive Daily Mail images
Komoroski asked the officers if they liked poached eggs, chatted about her favorite fast-food restaurants, and admitted that she was a ‘soft serve girlie’ when discussing ice cream flavors.
Her nonchalant behavior contrasted with footage from the scene of the crime, which showed Komoroski screaming as she urged first responders to make sure the bride was all right.
‘Is she okay? Make sure she’s okay,’ Komoroski screamed, referring to Miller, who had been killed at the scene of the crash.
When officers arrived, she said she had not been drinking, but then confessed she had only consumed two beverages: a beer and an ‘alcoholic beverage.’
Pressed on what the other drink was, Komoroski then sputtered that she had downed ‘a tequila pineapple.’
The officer asked Komoroski to rate how drunk she was on a scale of one to ten – with ten being the ‘most intoxicated you’ve ever been in your life.’
Komoroski quickly fired back: ‘I would like a lawyer, honestly.’
Exclusive Daily Mail photos show Komoroski settling into her new home in an upscale enclave of Charleston after she was initially freed on bail
Hutchinson spoke during Komoroski’s hearings. He suffered two broken legs, extensive facial fractures and traumatic brain injuries from the crash
Eventually, vials of blood that were taken and tested placed her blood alcohol at 0.261 percent. The legal limit in South Carolina is 0.08 percent.
Miller’s husband suffered two broken legs, extensive facial fractures and traumatic brain injuries.
He emotionally recalled the harrowing moments his wife died during Komoroski’s sentencing hearing, telling the court: ‘She said she didn’t want the night to end, I kissed her on the head, the next thing I knew I woke up in hospital.’
‘I wish I had died that night. I wish I had seen it coming. I’d have jumped off the golf cart so that you’d only have run me over. We did not get hit, we got ran through at 65mph.’
