A Gloucester woman who has been incarcerated since April 29 when she was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter and driving under the influence received a suspended sentence in Gloucester Circuit Court on Tuesday.
Judge R. Bruce Long sentenced Deborah Sue Auman, 54, to five years in prison for the manslaughter conviction but suspended all of the term except for the time she has served awaiting sentencing.
Auman additionally received a suspended 90-day sentence for the DUI conviction and was fined $500, with half of that amount suspended. She was also ordered to complete ASAP and her driver’s license was suspended for a year.
Auman was driving a 2004 GMC Envoy southbound on Route 17 in June of last year when she struck 54-year-old Alvin Darnell Wilson, who was walking along the roadside. Wilson died at the scene just north of Hickory Fork Road at White Marsh.
Auman was not injured but was transported to have her blood alcohol content measured after a state trooper detected the odor of alcohol. Her blood alcohol content was determined to be .08 following the 6 a.m. accident. Auman, who admitted to consuming alcohol the previous night, told the trooper the accident occurred when she reached for a cup of coffee in a cup holder.
During the sentencing hearing Tuesday, Wilson’s mother, Rosa Wilson, said her son had been ticketed for driving under the influence years before and never touched a car after that. He regularly made the morning walk from the home they shared in the 5400 block of Route 17 to a nearby convenience store where he got coffee and awaited a ride from the man he worked for.
The victim’s employer, Granville Tillage, described Wilson as a dependable worker and an exceptional person. He said Wilson was always there for work, never late, and was an excellent worker who could do just about anything.
Testifying on her family’s behalf, the victim’s daughter, Dannette Wilson, said she and her father, a U.S. Army veteran, were very close. She said she now becomes nervous and anxious when she drives because she is aware now that drivers can be distracted. She also said she was not angry with Auman.
“I want you to know I’m not mad at you. It was an accident. I’m not sure what you were going through; there must have been something that made you want to get away. Everybody has their way of dealing with things… I just hope that you find help. We can’t undo what’s already been done. I just pray for you and with you,” Wilson’s daughter said, bringing Auman to tears.
Friends and coworkers described Auman as a caring and generous person who was also a dedicated and skilled employee. Her friends said Auman had been through much in her life, especially in recent years. She lost her mother to cancer and her father in a vehicle accident. She was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Testimony was given that she was raped in her own home, then saw her attacker acquitted. A long-term relationship ended. Then the accident happened. “She went through a lot, more than anyone person can stand,” one friend said.
Prior to her sentencing, Auman turned to address Wilson’s family members. “Alvin Wilson was a name I never knew and now he’s a man I’ll never forget,” she said. “I would like to express my deepest apology. Please know that I am very sorry I created that pain for you. If there were words that I could say over and over to you, they are ‘I’m sorry.’” Auman also said it was true that she had been drinking more heavily over the last three years.
“Cases like this one are extremely difficult,” Long said before giving Auman the suspended sentence. He said by all accounts, Wilson was an exemplary man whose life was tragically cut short.
Long said Auman also appeared to be a loving, giving, caring family person who had been a productive citizen for 35 years and had a perfect driving record. Long also noted it would cost close to $100,000 annually to keep Auman incarcerated with the cost of her MS medications.