ATLANTA — It was a case that made national headlines when a woman was convicted of causing a crash that killed five people on Easter Sunday.
Aimee Michael was sentenced to 36 years in a Fulton County courtroom.
But a woman who lost four loved ones in the crash is not happy Michael was released on parole after only serving 14 years. Kathy Smith said no one informed her that Michael was up for parole.
She thought Michael should serve every one of the 36 years after what she took from her.
“When I get up every day, my family is not here,” Smith said.
Smith plays the piano to ease the pain of losing her family in a violent crash back in 2009.
“That’s what gets me through,” Smith said.
She admits she was initially in a rough place. But through her faith, she got better.
“I was doing so well,” Smith told Channel 2’s Tom Jones.
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Then Wednesday, she learned that Michael, the woman sentenced to 36 years for causing the crash on Camp Creek Parkway that killed her daughter Delisia, Delisia’s husband Robert, their 9-year-old daughter, and 2-month-old son, had been released on parole in December, after only serving 14 years.
“When I heard this yesterday, I immediately was in an asthma attack,” Smith said.
Smith said no one contacted her about the release. She wanted to speak before the parole board about Michael’s impending release.
“I would have told them that no. I disagree with her getting out. I thought 36 years meant 36 years,” Smith said.
Prosecutors said Michael left the scene that day, and her mother arranged to have her car repaired. She was later arrested after neighbors called police.
A parole board spokesperson said that because Michael was sentenced to 36 years, by law, she was eligible for parole after seven years.
Steve Hayes said the board released her after 14 years because they believed there is a reasonable probability she won’t violate state law.
“I don’t feel that’s fair when five people have lost their lives,” Smith said.
A 6-year-old child was also killed in the crash.
Smith is a praying woman. It caught Jones by surprise what she’s praying for when it comes to Michael.
“I pray I don’t run into her,” Smith said.
According to a parole document, Michael is in a rehab facility in Emanuel County. It indicated she will be on parole for the next 20 years.
Michael’s mother was sentenced to eight years and released after three years.
Smith said the state told her she wasn’t signed up for notifications, and that’s why she wasn’t notified about Aimee’s release. She says no one told her she had to sign up.
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