Police accused a Capitol riot suspect of driving drunk and killing a mother in a wrong-way car crash while out on bond

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Police accused a Capitol riot suspect of driving drunk and killing a mother in a wrong-way car crash while out on bond
Emily Hernandez holds a sign from Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi's office on January 6, 2021.US Department of Justice
  • Police allege a Capitol riot suspect drove drunk and killed a mother in a car crash on Wednesday night.
  • Emily Hernandez was out on a personal recognizance bond for charges in connection with the insurrection.
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Police alleged a suspect in the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot, who was out on bond, drove drunk on Wednesday night, killing a young mother in a car crash, according to a traffic crash report from the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

Authorities accused Emily Hernandez, 22, of "traveling the wrong direction" on a highway in Franklin, Missouri, about 7 p.m. local time on Wednesday.

Hernandez allegedly struck a Buick SUV traveling in the opposite direction, according to the crash report.

A passenger in the Buick, 32-year-old Victoria Wilson, was pronounced dead by emergency responders soon after the crash.

Both Hernandez and the driver of the car, Wilson's husband, were hospitalized with serious injuries, the crash report states.

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According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Wilson was a mother to two adolescent boys and was a home healthcare aide.

Wilson and her husband were returning from celebrating their wedding anniversary at the time of the fatal crash.

Following the accident, authorities charged Hernandez with "driving while intoxicated resulting in death of another, driving while intoxicated resulting in serious physical injury, excessive BAC [Blood Alcohol Content]," according to police records.

Hernandez's attorney, Ethan Corlija, told Insider that Hernandez underwent surgery after the accident and said the incident is out of character for his client.

"She is very very distraught in having been involved in a situation where someone was harmed and lost a life," Corlija said. "Her heart pours out to Wilson's family and loved one who's mourning a loss of life."

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Hernandez is one of more than 700 people who have been charged in connection to the Capitol riots on January 6, 2021. Prosecutors say images from the insurrection captured her holding a piece of a broken sign from Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi's office.

She was placed on a personal recognizance bond in February 2021, and according to her attorney, she is scheduled to plead guilty to one of the charges on Monday if she is medically able to do so.

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