Conviction for Woman that Fled and Hid

A woman that caused the death of five people on Easter Sunday 2009, and hid for two weeks from police, has been found guilty of vehicular manslaughter, hit-and-run and tampering with evidence, as reported by the Union Recorder in Atlanta, Georgia.

The metro Atlanta woman, Aimee Michael, while facing decades in prison, was also found guilty of causing serious injury by vehicle and many misdemeanor traffic violations.

Michael, 24, sped her parent's BMW away from the multi car crash and hid from police for almost two weeks. A neighbor that noticed her suspicious behavior - Michael had hired a mechanic to come to her home to repair her car - tipped off the police.

At the beginning of her trial Michael's attorney, Scott Smith, made an odd statement to jurors: That since there was no doubt that his client fled the scene of the accident they should find her guilty of six counts of  hit-and-run and one count of tampering with evidence. In an effort to save Michael decades of prison, he only asked that she not be found guilty of the vehicular homicide charges.

Smith said that proof of other tire tracks, and other evidence, pointed to Michael's car being sideswiped and not the sole cause of the accident. He said, "There are serious gaps in the state's case. Those gaps are as clear as day. You're now being asked to put together a puzzle but you might not have all the tools to do it."

Tanya Miller, the Prosecutor for Fulton County, said that both the evidence and eyewitness testimony showed that Michael caused the wreck. That coupled with Michael's behavior in fleeing the scene and hiding made for very damaging evidence.

Miller said, "This case is so simple. You know that Aimee Michael is guilty. You know she caused this crash because that is what the evidence showed you. She fled. She ran. She left those people burning. What innocent person would do that?"

Michael had borrowed her parents car that morning to pick up ice cream. On a busy four-lane road she switched lanes and crashed her vehicle into a Mercedes. The Mercedes and the BMW were both thrust into oncoming traffic and collided with a Volkswagen Beetle.

The Mercedes was carrying Robert and Delisia Carter, their baby Ethan and 9-year-old daughter Kayla. All four were killed.

The Volkswagen contained Tracie Johnson and her six-year-old daughter Morgan. Morgan was killed. Johnson, the sole survivor besides the unharmed Michael, suffered broken bones in her hip, collarbone and legs.

Police on the scene were told of the BMW's involvement but were unable to locate the car, or the driver, until they received the tip from Michael's suspicious neighbor two weeks later.  It was after Michael's arrest that investigators discovered that she had already paid a mechanic to come to her family's home to do the car's repair work.

Sheila Michael, Aimee's 52 year-old mother, pleaded guilty to two counts of tampering with evidence and hindering the apprehension of a criminal.  She is also looking at prison time because she helped her daughter cover her tracks.

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