Witnesses take stand against woman charged with DUI, murder

November 09, 2010|by Ashton Goodell

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — A woman on trial for murder admits she was too drunk to be driving but couldn't think of anyone to call for help the day she caused a deadly crash on the Seward Highway last November.

Witnesses testified Tuesday in the ongoing murder trial of Lori Phillips.

Phillips told police her drunkenness on a scale from 1-10 was a five. She said she knew she shouldn't be behind the wheel in that condition, but her attorney says she likely didn't know what she was talking about after being rattled in the crash.

When Phillips came into the Hot Heads hair salon that day, her stylist said she seemed "out of it." Witnesses said it only got worse after sitting through a three-hour perm and hair cut.

“She seemed different, kind of spacey, maybe on something,” Michelle Meyers, one of the stylists said.

Phillips had a coffee mug in hand, but nobody noticed if she was drinking it.

A stylist at the salon tried to stop Phillips from getting in her car, but Phillips resisted.

On the Seward Highway, several drivers pulled over to let her SUV pass them.

“I saw a car driving in the wrong lane, head-on into traffic,” said Paul Kupferschmid.

A Department of Transportation worker saw Phillips drive off the road to turn around. He called police hoping they would get there in time.

“(I called) because I felt I had an impaired driver there that needed to be stopped,” Dave Parker said.

Minutes later, Phillips crashed into an oncoming car killing the driver, Louis Clement, and critically injuring his girlfriend, Joyua Stovall.

“She was screaming. She was hysterical,” Kupferschmid said of Stovall’s condition after the crash.

Phillips claims she doesn't remember anything about the crash.

Her attorney questions whether she had a head injury or pre-existing medical condition that made her sluggish.

But Phillips told police she had been drinking.

“She did tell me she had two to three beers,” APD Officer Earl Ernest said.

“Her eyes were bloodshot and watery as if she had been drinking alcohol or impaired by a drug or alcohol,” APD Officer John Volen said.

Wednesday, the surviving victim will take the stand. Prosecutors say she'll talk about what she saw before the crash and what's she done to recover after it.

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