Attorney claims woman charged in deadly Watterson Expressway crash wasn't driving
The defense attorney for a woman who is charged in connection with a deadly crash that happened on the Watterson Expressway argued that she was not driving the vehicle at the time of the wreck.
Maria Gibson, 42, was arraigned in court Monday on several charges, including murder and operating a vehicle while under the influence.
Arrest records say Gibson had been drinking prior to rear-ending a vehicle at a high rate of speed just after 4 a.m. Sunday on the eastbound lanes of the Watterson at Breckenridge Lane. The crash caused the second vehicle to catch fire, trapping 33-year-old Dominique Johnson inside, and shut down the Watterson for several hours.
Johnson died as a result of the crash, according to the Jefferson County's Coroner's Office.
Gibson's defense attorney, Alex Fleming, told District Court Judge Annette Karem on Monday during the arraignment that Gibson was in the back seat of the vehicle. They said another person was driving the car when the crash happened and that person left the scene.
Fleming also says that witnesses reportedly extricated Gibson from the backseat of the vehicle, but that was not included in the arrest citation.
However, the arrest citation does mention that Gibson admitted to starting her vehicle while out at a bar on Preston Highway, but she blacked out and the next thing she remembers is being in a crash.
It also states that there was a visible seatbelt mark that went from her left shoulder across her chest toward the right side of her body. The citation also notes that Gibson's earring and cell phone were found on the floor on the driver's side.
A passenger in the vehicle Gibson was in, was treated at the hospital for non-life threatening injuries, records show.
Judge Karem kept Gibson's bond at $100,000. She will be eligible for home incarceration if bail is posted.
The judge also said the arguments were not appropriate for a bond hearing.
Her next court date is Aug. 23.