Adacia Avery Chambers will spend the rest of her life in prison, under a plea deal accepted today at the Payne County Courthouse in Stillwater.
Chambers killed four spectators and injured dozens of others when she drove her car around a barricade and into a crowd during Oklahoma State University's homecoming parade on October 24, 2015.
Before her jury trail was to begin, Chambers pleaded no-contest to four counts of second-degree murder and 39 counts of assault and battery. Under the plea agreement, she will serve life in prison, plus ten years. The 26-year-old won't be eligible for parole until she's 72 years of age.
The four life sentences for second-degree murder will be served concurrently. Additionally, the 39 assault and battery counts will then run concurrently, with each carrying a sentence of ten years.
Wearing a jail jumpsuit, Chambers agreed that she understood the charges and felt confident that her plea is a sane one. A psychiatrist also agreed to that.
About 100 victims and family members of victims gathered and, after the plea was made, they started making victim impact statements and those continue throughout the day.
Victim impact statements in #okstate parade case include many cases of PTSD and night terrors.
— Rachel Hubbard (@kosurachel) January 10, 2017
Several #okstate parade crash victims say they suffer from memory loss that affects their daily lives
— Rachel Hubbard (@kosurachel) January 10, 2017
During court recess in #okstate parade crash case victims talked about how hearing similar stories helped normalize their feelings.
— Rachel Hubbard (@kosurachel) January 10, 2017
Defense attorney Tony Coleman has said Chambers is mentally ill and that her father checked her into an inpatient mental health hospital in Wagoner several years ago. Following sentencing, Coleman took aim at what he called a broken mental health care system in the state.
"When the health care system failed Ms. Chambers, they failed all of us. They failed all four of those victims that died that day. They failed the dozens of others that were injured that day. That was an indirect result of the failed mental health care system."
A very somber Floyd Chambers, Adacia's father, echoed Coleman's comments.
"I don't wish this for any other parent. And any other parent who has children with mental health issues, we've got to get help in this state for that. We need to press legislation to get laws changed and that's what I'm gonna try to fight for."
