Woman sentenced in wrong-way DUI crash that killed Marietta High grad

A Sharpsburg woman was sentenced for causing a crash in February 2017 that killed a 21-year-old Marietta High alumna who was studying to become a nurse.

A Cobb County judge ordered Casey Melinda Hunter, 45, to prison for 15 years, according to a news release from the county district attorney’s office.

Taylor was driving a Ford Explorer with a suspended driver's license on Feb. 4, 2017, when she ran a red light at South Cobb Drive and King Springs Road, hitting a Honda Civic that was turning.

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Noemy Kimberly Islas, the Honda’s driver, died at the scene.

According to a warrant, Hunter had taken four prescription medications about 45 minutes before the crash. Among them was methadone, a painkiller, and hydroxyzine, which is used for general anesthesia before and after surgery.

Police also found she was under the influence of THC.

“Now she has taken the life of a 21-year-old student who was working two jobs and who spent all of her free time with her family. This family will never be the same,” said prosecutor Patricia Hull.

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Hunter’s license was suspended in 2000 for a DUI charge, according to the warrant. She had no insurance nor registration and was driving with a fake tag at the time of the crash.

She was indicted about a year ago.

Hunter was sentenced on her felony charge of first-degree vehicular homicide in addition to misdemeanor counts of driving while license suspended, no proof of insurance and having an altered tag.

She was sentenced to three years of probation when she is released, during which she won’t be allowed to drive.

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