OKLAHOMA CITY – The woman convicted of killing a beloved UCO professor in a DUI crash asked a judge for mercy Tuesday.
58-year-old Debra Reed was killed in August 2013.
Chandler Kardaras was intoxicated when she slammed into Reed’s car in Edmond.
Tuesday was emotional for both families.
24-year-old Kardaras fought through tears asking a judge to reduce her 25-year sentence for second-degree murder.
Melanie Berry told the judge that two years is not enough for killing her mother.
“You can’t just go out there and kill somebody and then say ‘I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to do that,’” Berry said.
Kardaras was just 20 when she crashed into Debra Reed’s car in Edmond.
Kardaras was drunk and on probation from her first DUI.
In court Tuesday, her attorney said Kardaras has been a model prisoner the past two years and is working on her bachelor’s degree.
But the prosecutor said the court already gave Kardaras a second chance after her first DUI.
Then, he said she chose to get behind the wheel of a 2,000 pound weapon on the highway.
“My 7-year-old doesn’t remember my mom, and she asks me to tell her stories, and those are heartbreaking things,” Berry said.
The two families live only a few miles apart.
They’ve sat in the same courtroom together before.
It’s never easy.
In fact, Melanie had to stop our interview because a Kardaras family member tried to interrupt.
Eventually, Melanie told us her mother’s bright personality will not be forgotten.
“I’m proud of who she was, and I know she’s in a better place,” Berry said.
Kardaras will spend her 20s and 30s behind bars.
Her sentence will be up when she’s 43 years old.
The Kardaras’ attorney told us they’re obviously disappointed in the ruling.
Reed’s family is currently pushing for harsher DUI laws at the Capitol.