Mother of three children who drowned pleads guilty

By Gavin Lesnick

Posted: March 16, 2010 at 10:32 a.m.
Updated: March 16, 2010 at 3:04 p.m.

Gavin Lesnick An officer escorts Amber Turley into an elevator at the Conway County Courthouse after she was sentenced to two years in prison as part of a plea deal in the deaths of her three sons.

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MORRILTON — A woman whose three sons died when she drove into a Conway County lake last year plead guilty to three counts of child endangerment.

Amber Turley, 27, was sentenced to six years in prison with four years suspended as part of a plea deal accepted by Fifteenth Judicial Circuit Judge Jerry Ramey. She had previously pleaded innocent to the felony charges, which were filed after authorities determined Turley had used marijuana and a prescription depressant prior to the accident.

The sentences will run concurrently, meaning Turley will be behind bars for two years.

Turley spoke softly at the hearing and broke down as Ramey asked her about the April 19 crash, which killed 8-year-old Aaron, 7-year-old Alex, and 2-year-old Anthony.

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Mom sentenced in deaths of 3 sons

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She did not answer questions as police escorted her from the courthouse and into a patrol vehicle.

In a statement read to the court just before sentencing, the boys' paternal great aunt, Pat Bradley, said their deaths were the consequence of "very bad choices" made by Turley.

"No matter what path you take in life, may you never forget that moment that took our boys from us and please never repeat the act that caused this," Bradley said. "We hope it was not worth all the so-called fun you had that night."

Turley will serve her time in a regional correctional facility where substance abuse treatment is offered.

A blood-screening test conducted after the wreck showed Turley had marijuana and benzodiazepines in her system. It also showed she had been drinking but was below the legal limit for driving.

Witnesses told police Turley and her boys had attended a party in Conway before the wreck.

After the hearing, several family members - including grandfather Larry Turley - expressed disappointment at the sentence, which with good time credit could be halved.

"Walking away with one year is completely unreasonable," said Vurlon Egger, the boys' great aunt. "We don't understand. One year. People do less than that and get 10 and 20 years. She can take three lives ... and gets 12 months."

Mothers Against Drunk Driving Arkansas Executive Director Teresa Belew, who attended the hearing, said others can learn from the tragedy.

"The big lesson is every child deserves a designated driver," she said.

Read tomorrow's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.

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