A Dresden woman charged with driving drunk and killing her friend in a crash two years ago has been convicted of impaired operation of a motor vehicle causing death.
The verdict for Arielle Wall, 22, came down at Superior Court in Chatham on Thursday. She was also convicted of having a blood-alcohol level over the legal limit of 80.
However, she was acquitted on the charge of dangerous driving causing death.
Sentencing submissions for Wall will be heard on November 7, 2023.
The crash on Longwoods Road near Centre Side Road just east of Chatham on April 12, 2021 claimed the life of Wall's friend, Gabrielle Emery.
The 19-year-old, also from Dresden, was a passenger in Wall's vehicle and was pronounced dead at the scene while Wall was taken to the Chatham-Kent Health Alliance with minor injuries.
The vehicle crashed into a tree during wet road conditions just after midnight at a bend in the road.
The court previously heard during the week-long trial in May that Wall had red, glassy eyes when first responders arrived, was joking with paramedics, and admitted to drinking alcohol before driving, but was not on any medication.
In May, the judge told Emery's family that whether or not there would be a conviction in September 2023, he could not bring back their loved one and "there are no winners in this case" because Wall also lost a dear friend.
