Schuster, who was under the influence of Xanax and marijuana when she hit the workers, faces 23 years in prison on the felony charges and an additional 180 days in jail for the OVI charge.
Schuster has been free on bond awaiting trial She sobbed as the verdicts were read. Her family and defense attorney Lawrence Hawkins III tried to calm her.
Shannon Dethlefs, Rooks’ mother, hugged her family and Blake Patton, a lineman also working that day at the crash when the verdicts were read.
“I am more than grateful. Our family can get a little bit of closure,” Dethlefs said. “Our lives will never be the same, but at least we have a new normal.”
The verdict came after four days of emotional testimony from those who witnessed the crash, those hurt in the crash, and families still trying to recover from its aftermath.
Schuster took the stand in her own defense telling the jury she was drugged before the crash with pills dissolved in orange juice by a man who befriended her a year ago while she was working at the Harem strip club in Dayton.
Schuster said she had no recoklection of the crash or anything after she met Kevin Bowman and he gave her a drink in a McDonald’s cup.
But the jury believed Bowman’s version of what happened before the crash.
During testimony Wednesday, Bowan said he had a “sugar daddy” relationship with Schuster and had paid her bmand taken her shopping in exchange for sex acts.
Bowman said he met up with Schuster in West Chester Twp. on April 22, 2015. They smoked marijuana and ate fast food, but he did not drug her.
Schuster’s sentencing is set for May 19.
During closing arguments that began at 9 a.m. Friday, Butler County Assisant Prosecutor Brad Burress said Schuster had a selective memory, and while she doesn’t recall anything about the accident that resulted in the death of Rooks, she does remember how large the drink she said Bowman gave her was and that she was drugged.
Defense attorney Lawrence Hawkins III said during closing statements that Bowman is to blame for the crash because he drugged Schuster.
“Michele is not guilty,” Hawkins said, noting she did not voluntarily take drugs on April 22, 2015.
Hawkins said there was a cycle of abuse by Bowman of Schuster and she had to constantly rebuff his sexual advances.
“This man had a plan to take advantage of Michele on April 22, 2015,” Hawkins said. “He wanted one more shot.”
Hawkins said more evidence would have been found about Bowman if there was a more thorough investigation by police. The defense attorney pointed out Bowman had a chance to clean his truck before it was searched and he consulted an attorney before talking to police.
“There was a crime committed on April 22, 2015, but it wasn’t by Michele,” Hawkins said.
Burress minced no words in his final argument to the jury. He told the jury to listen to the evidence, and when it comes to Schuster’s defense, there isn’t any. He said there was evidence of Xanax pills in her purse, and toxicology experts say Xanax was in her system as well as THC, the primary hallucinogenic found in marijuana.
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