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Cierra Goss CRJU3116: Criminal Behaviors Professor Willey Project: Alcohol Related Crime November 19, 2023 The Case of Samantha Miller: Was Only a Bride for a few minutes For Alcohol Related crime, I chose to discuss drunk driving. Research shows that approximately 37 individuals every day, or one every 39 minutes, lose their lives in drunk driving accidents in the United States (NHTSA, 2023). There are a number of reasons why people choose to get behind the wheel while intoxicated and the number one reason I can think of is that they think that they aren't that drunk and that they can make it to their destination. For this specific case that I am going to discuss, I chose the rational choice theory. However, my dilemma is that the theory itself isn’t really talked about that much in the textbook. There is no definition or explanation, and it doesn’t even show up in the glossary. It does show up once or twice though, when discussing sexual burglary and robbery crimes. This theory was proposed by Ronald Clarke and Derek Cornish who have made numerous appearances in our textbook. They were used as a reference for our textbook by actually using the application of the rational choice theory. I noticed that throughout the textbook, drunk driving wasn’t discussed that much, and I didn’t feel like the theories I were

coming across really connected with the case I chose. Speaking of which, the case that I chose to discuss is the tragic case of Samantha Miller. Samantha and her newlywed husband, Aric Hutchinson, with two of their wedding guests were leaving their wedding reception on a lit-up golf cart in Folly Beach, South Carolina. It was only moments later where they were struck from behind by drunk driver, Jamie Lee Komoroski, in her Toyota Camry rental, causing the golf cart to roll several times (Deak, 2023). The speed limit of this beach road was 25 mph, however, Komoroski, was going 65 mph. Upon seeing Komoroski after the accident, police noticed that she reeked of alcohol and when asked to, she refused to take a sobriety test. Later, it was found out that her blood alcohol level was 0.261 which is over three times the legal limit when driving (Farberov, 2023). Samantha, unfortunately, was killed while her husband and three others remained seriously injured. Aric has since been recovering and has sued Komoroski, the people that she was out drinking with and the bars that she drank out since they all encouraged her behavior instead of trying to prevent her from getting dangerously drunk. Bars are plural in this case because Komoroski had actually been had been bar hopping between five bars prior to the accident (Deak, 2023). Komoroski has since been charges with three felony DUI’s and one count of reckless homicide. If it is okay, I actually chose two theories, rational choice and social learning theory. However, my main focus will be on rational choice theory if otherwise. Rational choice theory suggests that individuals make decisions based on weighing the costs and benefits of their actions (Verbora, 2023). When it comes to social learning theory, individuals learn behaviors through observation and imitation of others. The reason why I thought that these theories connected to this case was based on Komoroski's actions. in the case of the rational choice theory and drunk driving, individuals may weigh the potential benefits of getting home quickly or

avoiding the inconvenience of finding alternative transportation against the potential costs of getting caught, causing an accident, or harming others. This is what I initially thought when Komoroski decided to get behind the wheel despite being highly intoxicated. The only reason why I even considered the social learning theory was because Komoroski didn’t even have a record and maybe she decided to get drunk to compete with her friends. I figured that maybe she saw that her friends were having a good time and wanted to continue having fun, so she wanted to join in on the fun. We see it plenty of time on TV where someone has a drink but then sees their friends downing multiple drinks and then it just goes back and forth, seeing who can drink the most. Komoroski has probably even seen her friends drive back home while intoxicated and figured that she could do it too. Her friends' influence or overall social influences could have had an impact on Komoroski and her choices. However, she thought wrong and now her choices have cost someone their life and now she is facing 25 years in prison (Deak, 2023).

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References: Deak, M. (2023, September 25). NJ native indicted in drunken crash that killed bride on wedding day . Courier News. https://www.mycentraljersey.com/story/news/crime/2023/09/25/jamie-lee-komoroski- indicted-in-dui-crash-that-killed-bride/70931877007/ Farberov, S. (2023, September 21). “drunk driver” Jamie Komoroski indicted for crash that killed bride on wedding day . New York Post. https://nypost.com/2023/09/21/jamie-lee- komoroski-indicted-for-dui-crash-that-killed-bride/ NHTSA. (2023). Drunk driving . U.S. Department of Transportation. https://www.nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/drunk-driving#:~:text=Overview,one%20person %20every%2039%20minutes . Verbora, A. R. (2023, March 1). 16.6 rational choice theory . Introduction to Criminology. https://kpu.pressbooks.pub/introcrim/chapter/16-6-rational-choice-theory/#:~:text=This %20theory%20was%20first%20posited,committed%20for%20immediate%20monetary %20gain .

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