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Bucks County Woman Sentenced In Deadly Wrong-Way Collision

BUCKS COUNTY, PA (CBS) -- A Bucks County woman is sentenced for a third-degree murder conviction resulting from a DUI crash after she drove the wrong way for several miles on Route 309, eventually killing a 24-year-old in a head-on collision.

Noelle Chew, 27, ignored her boyfriend and her aunt who both pleaded with her not to drive, and she killed 24-year-old Damian Taolombo in a head-on crash on route 309 on Jan. 21, 2017.

Her blood alcohol level is estimated to have been three times the legal limit when she crashed her BMW head-on into Taolombo's Kia Sephia just after midnight.

Taolombo was on his way home from work.

Bucks County Judge Gary Gilman told Chew her actions before and after the crash made it unclear if she is capable of rehabilitation. Judge Gilman sentenced Chew to 6.5 to 24 years in prison, the low-end of the standard range of third-degree murder.

Prosecutor Bob James argued for a higher sentence, pointing to a prison phone call after the deadly crash where she said this was her "breaking point".

"Her breaking point should have been her being arrested for her first DUI, her breaking point should have been someone telling her she needs to go to inpatient rehab, the breaking point should have been when she drops her kid off at day care and she's impaired and they want to take her kid away from her," said James.

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