After Appeal, Kentucky DUI-homicide Defendant Pleads Guilty

A Jessamine County, Kentucky woman has pleaded guilty for the second time to charges stemming from a 2006 crash that killed four people, while driving under the influence of alcohol. Melissa Helton was the subject of much litigation, including a 2008 Kentucky Supreme Court case.

According to The Lexington Herald-Leader Melissa Helton pleaded guilty to four counts of wanton murder, one count of wanton endangerment and driving under the influence.

The four victims were passengers in Ms. Heltons minivan. There were three children, her son Nicholas, 12, eleven year old Caleb Hildenbrandt and ten year old Emily Ann Preston. Forty year old Lori Latham, also a passenger in the vehicle, died three months later from injuries she had sustained in the crash.