Woman in fatal Easter Day hit-and-run crash turns down plea deal

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By Kristi E. Swartz

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

A trial date has been set for the Fulton County woman who fled from a car crash she caused last Easter that killed five.

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John Spink, John Spink Aimee Michael listens to her lawyer, Scott Smith, in court in April 2009.

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Both Aimee Michael and her mother Sheila Michael, accused of helping her daughter cover up the tragic error, will appear before Fulton County juries on Oct. 25, according to a court order released Tuesday.

Earlier Tuesday, Aimee Michael, 23, declined the state’s deal of 50 years in prison, WSB-TV reported.

Charges against her include five counts of vehicular homicide and five counts of hit and run for the actions that led to the deaths of Robert and Delisia Carter, their newborn son Ethan Blake, Delisia’s 9-year-old daughter Kayla, and 6-year-old Morgan Johnson.

Michael’s mother, Sheila Michael, also turned down the state’s offer of five years, three of which would be served in prison, according to WSB.

Police say Aimee Michael was picking up cake and ice cream on April 12, 2009, when her BMW collided with the Carter’s Mercedes on Camp Creek Parkway, causing a chain-reaction crash. She fled the scene and was arrested on April 23.

Sheila Michael was indicted after a grand jury concluded she concealed evidence – including arranging to have her daughter’s BMW fixed to hide the fact that it had been involved in a crash.

The daughter and mother were released on $150,000 and $50,000 bond, respectively, and Aimee Michael has remained on 24-hour home confinement since her release from the Fulton County Jail roughly a year ago.

Since that time Fulton District Attorney Paul Howard Jr. has suggested the younger Michael may have left her home without authorization, and subsequently, the monitoring company charged with keeping tabs on her was fired by the county.

-- Reporter Marcus Garner contributed to this article.