Fatal DUI nets 18 years for Myrtle Beach woman

CONWAY -- When Donna Sheedy pleaded guilty Thursday to DUI in the death of motorcyclist Kenneth Temple, she told his family she knows the pain she caused because a drunken driver killed her brother while he was riding a motorcycle.
"I have some understanding of how the family feels. I feel so sorry that it happened," the 61-year-old Myrtle Beach woman said during the hearing on the charge of felony driving under the influence. "It's terrible. I made a very bad decision. I can't bring him back, and I have to live with that."
Temple, 47, from Centereach, New York, was killed May 15 while riding with family and friends on S.C. 544 near the Boardwalk shopping complex during the Harley-Davidson Cruisin' the Coast spring rally.
Police said Sheedy was eastbound in a Mitsubishi when she crossed the center line into the westbound lanes and struck Temple, his nephew who was riding another motorcycle and then a pickup truck. At the hospital a blood sample showed Sheedy's blood alcohol content was 0.27, assistant solicitor Scott Graustein said. The legal blood alcohol limit is .08.
Circuit Court Judge Benjamin Culbertson sentenced Sheedy to 18 years in prison and ordered her to pay a $25,100 fine. She must report to jail by 9 a.m. March 4 to begin serving the sentence. Sheedy, who also had a DUI conviction in 2007, faced between one to 25 years in prison.
"It was hoped she would've learned her lesson at that point," Graustein said of her prior conviction.
"This was a horrific felony DUI. This is the poster case for felony DUI."
Temple's family said they were sad that it took Temple's death to make Sheedy change. Sheedy's friends said during the hearing she now helps the elderly and volunteers at her church.
"She would have never gone to lengths to help others if it hadn't occurred," Temple's mother, Regina Temple, said after the hearing. "We're happy with the outcome. It's well deserved."
Sheedy moved to the area from Boston in 2000 and retired in 2005 after 36 years as an engineer, and opened a restaurant along the Grand Strand.
She clasped her hands together and kept her eyes shut as several of Kenneth Temple's family members spoke during Thursday's hearing. They included Temple's fiancee, Carol Schultz, who had dinner with him before the crash. The couple was set to marry this year.
Richard Temple, Kenneth Temple's brother, told the judge that most of his family members ride motorcycles and they have not recovered from his loss. Family members sobbed in the courtroom during the hearing.
"Kenny made me what I am today because of the competition between us. I need a big brother to push me," Richard Temple said.
Both men joined the military, volunteered at their local fire departments, rode motorcycles and were raising their families.
Kenneth Temple's 19-year-old daughter, Christina Temple, told Culbertson she cannot express her anger toward Sheedy for killing her father.
"He did nothing to deserve to be taken from us. He was doing what he loved, and she took him away," she said. "I know no amount of sentence will ever bring my dad back, but it will keep her off the street so no other family will have to suffer as mine has."
Matt Temple, Kenneth Temple's 17-year-old son, told the judge his father will be missed at important life events such as graduations, weddings and for grandchildren.
"My father was a firefighter, a Marine and he was my hero," Matt Temple said before he read a poem about being at a concert and learning of his dad's death.
Sheedy's attorney, Russell Long, said he and Sheedy are sympathetic to Kenneth Temple's family.
"I know she is truly remorseful. My heart goes out to that family and I know her heart goes out to them as well," Long said. "It's a very difficult day for Donna, but she understands it's a more difficult day for the family."
Long said Sheedy pleaded guilty because it was the first opportunity she had to give Kenneth Temple's family a resolution to the case.
"She has accepted responsibility for the crime. The destruction of a family is something she doesn't take lightly," Long said. "When Donna left her home on this particular day she did not intent to kill anybody. There was no malice, no hate, no intention accompanied her crime. It was an accident. An accident for which she is very sorry for."



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