No, no, no, no, no. I'm backing you. I'ming backing you. On November 21st, 2024, a drunk 66-year-old woman named Marcella crashed her car into a hall during a 2-year-old's birthday party at Swan Boat Club. Inside were Brian's wife, two toddlers, and his 12-year-old son. The crash injured many, including toddlers Zayn and Alana. Zayn was found under the car. Brian wasn't there and had no idea his family was caught in a tragedy. He was pulled out from under the car. The firefighters are coming right over here. They're on their way. [Music] Take care of the baby first. Yeah. Take care of the baby first. Which one? Can you come with me just for a second? Okay. Are you driving? Can you come with me just for a second? You okay? I passed out. Are you okay? I think so. Okay. Where you going with her? Over towards my car. Okay. What happened? I just I passed out. Okay. Have you been feeling ill or anything like that? Yes. Were you here for the party? No. What were you What were you out here at the boat club for? Are you remember? Yeah, I was just coming down here. Oh my gosh, this is terrible. Have you been drinking at all today? A little bit. Yes. Okay. When's the last time you had something to drink? Probably going to be funny. Probably half an hour ago. Half an hour ago. What do you drink? Wine. Wine. Okay. Have it. What's What's your name, hun? Marshalla. Marshall. What? Listen. Okay. You don't have any weapons on you, do you? No. All right. And I'm just going to leave you back here just for a little bit. Okay. Okay. All right. Do you need to see any medical attention right now? I don't think so. Okay. I'm going to roll down this window over here. Just get you some air. Okay. The guy down the street. Yes, sir. The guy also hit his car. Whoever was driving get his car down the street, too. Okay. So, this this guy was out of Yeah, this guy was out of Okay, we'll take care of it. It's going to be just a little bit before we need I'm just saying. Okay. I appreciate it. Is anybody in there? I don't know. Is anybody in here? She wasn't part of the party. She told the officer she had lunch with friends, got a bit drunk, and things got out of hand. A child ended up under her car, and firefighters had to come help. It was a quiet birthday until this unexpected situation changed everything. I don't think that. Okay. All righty. So, what's going on today? Um, not too much. I went out to lunch with some friends and I came back and came down to the boat club and I drove up to the boat club and that's the last thing I remember. One second. Just cuz you're in handcuffs. Um, I got to read you this. Okay. Okay. Um, you have the right silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. Do you wish to speak to me? Pardon? Do you wish to speak to me? Like, do you want to have a No, I'm I'm good. Like, do you want to talk or No. Oh, I'm I'm just hoping no one was hurt. Oh, sure. Um I just So, can I talk to you? Yes. Okay, perfect. So, what happened today? Where where were we at today? I went to lunch with some friends. Okay. About what time was that? Um noonish. Where was that at? At Verest. At Vera. Uh what' you drink there? You drink water, pop? I had a glass of wine. Just one glass of wine. Yep. Okay. Okay. So, you have one glass of wine at Vera. Um after that, what happens? You leave at noon. Where do you go? Came home. Um, what do you do when you get home? Um, I just came home and just kind of chilled out and was waiting for my husband to get up. He was taking a nap. Okay. Um, did you drink anything else there? No, I didn't even I didn't even get a drink down here because I never made it this far. And where where were you driving to? Just from Verest to here. To here. What were you coming here for? Home. Home. Oh, you're so you're going from Verest to home? Yeah. And you left Veras at noon? Yes. Okay. Um, but then you said you went home first. I'm home here. Oh, okay. So, you were trying to go from Veras to home. How long were we at Veras then? Uh, maybe an hour. Not even that long. Okay. So, you made no stops between Veras and here. No. And when did you go to Veras again? Uh, about noon. About noon. Okay. Uh, this is a preliminary breath test. Um, Michigan law requires that you submit to a preliminary breath analysis upon request of a peace officer. Your refusal to submit as requested shall result in you being charged with a civil infraction with a penalty of up to $100 fine. Um, do you understand that? Yes. Okay. So, this breath test, um, I just want to see where you're at with your alcohol level. If you have a one glass of wine, it's going to be really low. Okay. So, uh, just go ahead and, uh, blow like you're blowing a balloon. Okay. Keep going. Keep going. Keep going. Keep going. Thank you. I just want to make sure everything is okay. Oh, absolutely. Oh my gosh, that was so scary. Do you remember what happened when you were going around here? No, not really. I pulled into the parking lot and I was I thought I was driving up to the boat club and evidently I was driving right into the pavilion. When you got to the parking lot, what happened? I don't remember. You don't remember? I don't remember. Okay. Um got to this parking lot. You don't remember anything? I don't. Okay. Okay. Um, I think that's all the questions I have for you now. She didn't even remember where she was going. Many people got badly hurt. A mom went to the hospital and fell into a coma. A young boy was bleeding and had to be taken by helicopter. Marcela said she forgot everything. Her memory was gone, just like her driving license should be. She thought she was going home but crashed into a party. This is why drunk driving makes me so angry. People act like it's not a big deal, but it is. Deputy Schmidt's going to take me over from here. Okay. Uh, is there So, on a scale of 0 to 10, zero being like you're stone cold, sober, you can drive perfectly. Uh, 10 being you're passed out drunk. Uh, where do you think you're at right now? Uh, seven. A seven. Okay. Do you think you're okay to drive? I wouldn't want to drive. You wouldn't let you drive? No. Okay. Okay. Just give me one second. Okay. Sorry, my phone's ringing. I think it's going to be my boss. I apologize. Familiar with Mariah Dods? Yes, I am. How are you familiar with her? Um, we have been best friends since we were five. Are you familiar with her children? Yes, they're my godchildren. Was Mariah invited to the party? Yes, she was. Did anything out of the ordinary happened then? Um, yeah. There was a very loud what sounded like a bomb and I was right by the door. So, I ran in and it looked like a bomb at that point. I didn't know what happened. There was just um my son and his cousins right in the doorway. There was just debris everywhere. Then I seen one of the little girls got put on top of the bar cuz she was thrown behind it. And uh so I got her off the bar and set her down. Then I seen Marshella coming around the side of her car. I grabbed her and I started yelling at her. and somebody yelled, "There's a kid under the car." So, I told her to pop her trunk so we could get a jack. I could smell alcohol on her. I kind of realized like she just drove her car into the building. So, at that point, I told her just to get the f away from me and I threw her down. You testified just a moment ago that at some point people started yelling, "There's a kid under the car." What did you do as it related to that? I seen Zayn. He was underneath the driver's side wheel well of the car and he was reaching out. So when they lifted, I got underneath it and pulled him out and put him on my lap and the back of his head was bleeding and his arm was just kind of limp and all bloody and he had blood on his shirt and his face. But I asked if he knew who he was. And he said, "Yes." And I said, "Do you know who I am?" He said, "Yes, God." Somebody yelled, "Twitty, there's another." I handed Zane to my sister and try to go back under forana. And what did you see when you got to the breezeway? Um, and the door for you was the party host. Kristen broke into tears while recalling the tragic day. What was meant to be a joyful birthday turned into a nightmare. From finding a child thrown behind the bar to pulling another from under the car, she wasn't just a host that day. She became a witness to horror no one should face. But she was already gone. She was blue and discolored. Oh my god. Oh my god. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. I'm backing you. I'm [ __ ] backing you. Come on. Come on. Come on. Come on. Come on, bro. Come on, bro. Come on, bro. Not me. Not me. Come on, bro. I didn't do nothing. I haven't done nothing. I haven't done nothing, bro. No. No. No. You're lying. This is a dream. This is aing dream right now, bro. Please wake me up. Please. I'm begging you. Wake me up. No. No. No. Right now. He's [ __ ] lying, bro. Please. He's [ __ ] lying, bro. Bro, bro, please. Please, he's lying. Please tell me he's lying. Please. Please. Don't [ __ ] away. They just was with me. They just was with me. They just was with me. No. No. He's lying. He's lying. Bro, he's lying. I'm begging you. He's [ __ ] Mike. Mike, he's lying. Bro, I'm telling you right now. I was just with him. I was just with him. Stop it. He's lying, bro. I'm telling you. No. Stop. He's lying. I'm telling you, he's lying, bro. He's lying, bro. Listen. No. No. He's lying. Listen. Stop. He's lying. He's lying, bro. Bro, listen. Listen, listen. Listen to me. Just listen to me. They can't breathe. Mariah. Mariah, he needs you right now. Listen. Everybody needs you right now. Matt and my little boy, they went to a birthday party. They went to a birthday party. I know. Already. We're all done now. Okay. Can Yes, ma'am. You need some help. Can you take these off right now? Yeah, sure. I'm not going to trust you. I'm not going to run away. I promise. I know. I trust you're not going. But when we do leave here, I got to put them back on when we go to the jail. That's just policy procedure. That's fine. You lose your pants. I don't want you to fall. No, I don't want to fall. I'm going to try to hold you up here. Okay. Okay. We might bump into each other, but that's all right. They'll bury her. She took her, bro. She took both of them. I know. Listen, listen. Listen. You can't do this life anymore. Mike, no. I can't do it right now, Mike. Look what he just did to me. Look what he did to me. Don't do that, bro. When Brian reached the scene, he had no idea what waited for him. The moment he was told two of his kids were gone and the others were fighting for life, he broke down. He couldn't accept it. Crying, begging, shouting that it had to be a dream. His world shattered at a birthday party. All because of one drunk, reckless decision. Mike, don't tell me. Don't tell me. Look what he did to me. Look what he did to me, bro. He didn't do that. I didn't do that. That drunk did that, bro. I didn't do that. That drunk [ __ ] did that. She decided to do that stupid [ __ ] bro. Vote 10. And then you say you go to the boat club. Right. To the boat club. Mhm. That's not exactly accurate because I have surveillance footage of you at the boat club at 3:00. I don't know. I don't know. I know that um the party started at 3:00, the birthday party. So, I was there a little bit before that. Do you have any children? No. No. I may have stopped home um just to check on my husband to see what he was up to. So I could have Okay. And if you stopped home, would it be common that you had another glass of wine? I don't believe so. No. No. How often do you drink? Um I was drinking quite a bit there, but I've kind of switched over and I'm doing a free now. What's a free? It's uh alcohol free. And you know, you crashed into the building, right? I know. Do you know what happened? I do not know. Um, again, I just had one glass at um, Veras. Um, do do you drink hard liquor? No. Vodka? No. Beer? Glass at Veras? Yes. And I might have had a glass at the boat club. Went at the boat club. When I went there after Veras and then went to the boat club, had a glass of wine. Yes. And then blacked out in the back of the car. Yes. Well, that's not accurate. Okay. Okay. Because your car is going 50 m an hour into the driveway and drives into the building. So, you didn't go to the boat club before the crash. Okay. And we know the crash is at 3. Okay. And we know that Vera's was at 12:10 because the alcohol level you were at at 4:00, it's not practical. It's not feasible that you had one glass of wine. So then then it's not possible that you drank at the boat club because your car drives into the building and everybody stops drinking. Nobody's drinking and you didn't go over to the bar and get a drink after you drove into the drove. No. And I don't remember any of that. My name is Raquel Smothers. I am Mariah's sister. We were supposed to be planning a birthday party for Zane, not a funeral. No. When you have medical conditions, you should never get behind a wheel, whether you are drinking or not. I will never look at the month of April the same ever again. My birthday was a few days prior. The babies were just at my house. Marcela showed zero remorse. Even after destroying an entire family, her story kept changing and she calmly claimed she only had one drink. But the footage and facts proved otherwise. While a father begged for his children's lives, she acted clueless, cold, and careless, as if it was just another bad day. They were sitting at that table eating, and this woman crashed her car through this building, destroying all of our lives. My nephew and my sister are still fighting for their lives today. I had to be the one to tell my sister her babies were gone when they removed her ventilator yesterday. She said, "How am I supposed to live without my babies? I had to see their very last moment before that car was removed." No, I take that back. I had one um actually I was at the boat club and I was drinking free and that's when I they call it a like a white halo effect and it just everything gets really bright because your level you were a 21. Oh that sounds like a lot. Oh yeah. So 08's the legal level. Okay. One glass of wine or one beer or one 1 oz shot of liquor is 0.02. So that would equal about 10 drinks within an hour. Oh wow, that's a lot. So after Vernos, you stopped at home. Yes. And then you went you're you're saying you went to the boat club and had a couple glasses of wine. Yes. And then you walked from the the bar at the boat club to the party to the car to my car. To to your car. Okay. Did you go back home then? No. Okay. So, you walk back to your car. What What happened when you get in your car? What what do you remember that? That's where I don't really remember anything. Start fresh. Okay. And I'm going to ask you a very blunt question. Okay. Are you an alcoholic? I don't believe so. I see you're getting a little emotional. I apologize. Well, I I think it's I have to ask these hard questions and and you need to look into yourself, right? And answer this truthfully, right? And I would say I drank considerably more when I was not drinking the free. But since I started drinking the free, I'm not drinking nearly as much. And at this point, you are trying to deceive us with how much you drank yesterday and where you were at between noon and three. So, this is your one opportunity to tell us the truth and look truthful and not deceitful because there's only going to be one of two ways that you're seen. One way you're a liar, no good. Raquel Smothers, Mariah's sister, broke down while remembering that day. A fun birthday party turned into a nightmare. Balloons were replaced by sirens and smiles by screams. Her voice shook as she told her sister, "The babies are gone." For their family, April will never feel like April again. Okay. All right. Second way, she's sorry for what happened. She wants to own up to what she did and she wants to take responsibility. The day that that happened that the kids were with me and we was just having a normal day, I was just playing with them, getting them dressed and ready for the birthday party they was getting ready to attend. Once their mom picked them up, 30 to maybe 40 minutes, probably maybe an hour at tops. I was getting calls from my phone constantly from people I haven't met in years, family members. I felt in my stomach something was very wrong. My brother finally got a hold of me and told me there was an accident at the boat club. When I made it to the boat club, a chapel guy came on my corner and I I dropped straight to the ground. I started screaming cuz I knew they was gone. I knew in my heart they was gone. So I told them not to tell me. I begged them not to tell me before I even registered it was gone. They told me that Jaden, my oldest, was airlifted to the University of Michigan. I didn't even have time to grieve. I didn't have time to process what was going on with Alana Zayn because I had to rush to U of M. I had to make sure Jaden was okay. When I got to the University of Michigan, Jaden was on the table covered in blood. He had nine to 10 doctors all on him trying to work on him and his eyes seen me and I kept telling him to fight. I kept telling him to keep fighting and all he did was blink. At that time, I stayed at the University of Michigan for 2 weeks. I never told Jaden his brother and sister were gone. You probably are the most hated person in the United States. You drove your car into a kid's birthday party and killed two kids. Oh no. And many more are at the hospital in critical condition right now. Oh no. Adults as well. That is why I'm trying to get the truth from you, Marcela, so I can tell the prosecutor that you're not a low down dirty drunk that wants to go out there and kill kids. Oh gosh, no. I'm looking for the truth, Marshala. The truth needs to come out because you are the most hated person in the whole United States right now. I guarantee this is national news. I've been doing this for a long time. I've sat across the table from killers before. Like really, really bad killers. You're not that person. And I don't remember. Honestly, I do not remember. I would think I would remember something like that. Well, you're not being truthful about how much you drank. You're not. It's scientifically impossible to be the blood alcohol level you were last night with one glass of wine like you're telling us. What you took from me, I would never ever get back. My daughter was trying to be just like me playing basketball. She just celebrated her 8th birthday. Zayn was about to be five. Instead of celebrating his fifth birthday, we buried them. You don't have no kids, so you don't know what this feels like. And I promise their father shared how it was just a normal day. He dressed the kids for the birthday party, but an hour later, everything changed. When he heard about the crash, his heart sank. At the hospital, he saw Jaden covered in blood. He never told him his siblings were gone. I don't wish nothing but the worst for you. And I hope that you feel what we feel every day because it's hard. It's hard even to wake up knowing that they're not here. It's hard that their older brother has to be without his brother and sister. And I hope every day that you realize what you took it from us. Oh, I'm just devastated. So are many people right now. I'm sure they are. They're looking for answers and we're trying to help them find answers. I understand. But you're not telling us the truth. You understand? But you're not telling us the truth about how much you drink. So, there's one thing I want to leave you with, Marshall, because I'm tired of being lied with. You did this. You did this. You see that kid there? You did that. You did that. You did that. And you continue to lie to me. I'm not lying. You did this. I'm not saying that I didn't, but I certainly don't remember. I don't recall. That's not going to cut it. had a seizure. I think that the same thing that my husband said that I did when I have a seizure is just like just go straight. And I think when I got in the car, that's what happened. I just had the seizure and probably put my foot on the accelerator and crashed into the building. I have a perfect record. I don't even have a parking ticket. I don't have any kind of um DUI or um speeding ticket. Yet, April 20th, 2024 changed my life forever. When I was told my children were no longer here, I felt like I stopped breathing, as if I died inside. The medical prof professionals had to keep putting me back to sleep because every time I woke up, my body would go into panic. My mind could not understand what was happening, and my body just reacted. I had to see everything that was left inside my home when we last left it all together. Having to see their little shoes and coats at the front door with toys laying around my living room made everything feel more realistic. I could not look at anything. I cried to my family to get it all out of my sight because every time I seen something of theirs, I felt like I was going to stop breathing. I encountered so many phone calls, so much paperwork and consistent appointments when all I wanted to do was just close my eyes and pray every time I opened them that it was just a nightmare. I felt helpless. I could not move around without support. I could not get out of bed and go to the bathroom without help. I could not bathe myself with most of my ribs broken on one side, my shoulder blade broken on the other, a golf ball-sized hematoma right on my pubic region, and the back of my neck and skull bruised. I couldn't sit comfortably in a car or sit straight up in a chair without it hurting to breathe. I had a break, the unwelcome news to Jaden. She showed no true feelings for what she did. She even tried to look innocent on TV. The family was left with pain, tears, and empty shoes by the door. Life will never be the same for them. A mom had to bury her children before they turned five and eight. Bury my children. Figure out how to even celebrate Jaden's birthday to make it positive for him. Mourn Zayn's birthday the day after and face Mother's Day all in the same week. Everyone's birthdays were gloomy and quiet this year. Halloween was different. Thanksgiving felt like another day. Christmas was sad. It was heartbreaking and just did not feel right. Easter this year was the one-year death date from this tragedy and I was not even able to celebrate Easter. Instead, I faced another heartache by going into Alana's room that I have not seen in a year. Her room still smells like her. Her little dollhouse was still set up the same way when she was playing with it last. We were working on her room together, organizing all her toys, redoing the floors, and so on. She was so excited, and I never got to finish it with her. It took Jaden 10 and 1/2 months to regain the strength fully of walking without a wheelchair and walker. I wish I was alert that day. I would have been able to kiss my kids one last time and tell them I love them. Zayn would have been able to hold his mommy that he kept asking for minutes before he passed away. The other part of me is glad I wasn't alert because I do not think I would have been able to manage my children seeing my children like that where my daughter smashed into a wall. The guilt that comes with this is unbearable. And I question myself every single day, wondering if I could have done something more to keep them safe. But there were no windows or doors. Nobody seen her coming or expected a vehicle to fly into a building. There is only one person to blame. I always had mom guilt for working, providing, and just feeling drained. I never dreamed in a million years that the moment we had an opportunity to finally have a family fun day, my kids would never come back home with me. My children were supposed to bury me before I buried them. They had their whole life to live. Having a clean record does not mean you're a good person. Her actions just finally caught up with her. And at the end of the day, she killed two of my kids. I'll never know the answers as to why she didn't stop the first time. She ran into something before coming towards the boat club. She is an evil and sick individual in my eyes. If Michigan offered the death penalty, I would highly recommend it for her. I am exhausted mentally, emotionally, and physically with this. All I want to do is grieve the way I want and need to for my sanity and peace. I beg and I plead for her to be sentenced to life in prison with no parole. This mom had a very sad year. Her son Jaden had a birthday, but they didn't celebrate. The next day was her other son Zayn's birthday, but he had already died. On Easter, instead of having fun, she went into her daughter Alana's room. The room looked just like before the crash. Her dollhouse was still in the same place. The driver should have gotten life in prison with no chance to get out, just like the mom wanted. Marcela was found guilty of all the charges against her. These included seconddegree murder, driving while drunk and causing death, and driving while drunk and causing serious injury. The court sentenced her to 25 to 50 years in prison. Her actions left a lasting pain for everyone involved. What was meant to be a fun day turned into a lifelong nightmare for a family. This case became more than just a trial. It became a strong warning that drunk driving ruins lives. It reminds us that one careless choice can destroy many lives forever. In the end, if you enjoyed the video, hit that like button and drop your thoughts in the comments. Let's see who stands out the most. The best comment gets pinned. And hey, don't forget to share this video with your friends and family so they don't miss out on the fun. And now, here's a challenge for you. On your screen, you're seeing the four best playlists. Click on any one and I promise you won't regret it. You'll definitely enjoy this one. See you next time. Till then keep watching.