A Long Island mother accused of driving high on methamphetamine and causing the death of her young son in a wrong-way crash had her driver's license suspended for the 57th time at her arraignment Wednesday afternoon, prosecutors announced.
Suffolk County Judge Richard I. Horowitz ordered Kelly Bedrick's driver's license suspended pending the conclusion of the case and held the 32-year-old, who pleaded not guilty to murder at the arraignment, without bail.
Bedrick's driver's license was already suspended when he drove the wrong way on the Southern State Parkway at about 2:15 a.m. on Aug. 22, causing a four-vehicle crash that killed his 9-year-old son. Authorities revealed this.
According to prosecutors, Deputy Bedrick initially noticed Bedrick driving the wrong way and attempted to pull over his vehicle, but Bedrick sped up and drove around the deputy's vehicle.
The deputy pursued her in the westbound lanes for more than five miles, keeping a safe distance, as she drove into oncoming traffic in the eastbound lanes at up to 100 mph. the prosecutor said.
Bedrick ended up crashing head-on into other vehicles, including a Mercedes GLS SUV, with enough force to send the engine flying into the woods, according to the district attorney's office.
Her 9-year-old son, Eli D. Hensley, was found unconscious in the back seat of a 2022 Mitsubishi Eclipse and later died from his injuries at a hospital.
According to prosecutors, authorities later determined that the defendant was intoxicated during the reckless driving and found prescription pill bottles with the labels removed in his vehicle after the crash.
Suffolk Assistant District Attorney Laura Newcomb said last month that the driver admitted to police that he had taken methamphetamine the night before the fatal crash around 8 p.m.
In addition to the murder charge, she faces criminal charges including aggravated vehicular homicide, negligent homicide and other related charges, including operating without a license.
Bedrick's driver's license had already been suspended 56 times in the eight days leading up to the accident and was suspended again on Wednesday. Under state law, a driver can be suspended multiple times in one day for a variety of reasons.
Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney said the list of charges demonstrates the “seriousness” of what he called a “heinous act.”
“The loss of life in this incident is heartbreaking, particularly the loss of a young child,” he said in a statement.
Bedrick's attorney, Scott Zahner, called the incident a “tragic accident.”
“There's no one on the planet more upset about this than she is,” Zahner told The Post.
“She had a medical condition, had been properly prescribed methamphetamine by a doctor and was not under the influence of alcohol or unprescribed over-the-counter drugs.”
Zellner declined to comment on allegations that he was driving without a license at the time of the accident.
Bedrick and the two other drivers involved in the pileup were treated for injuries.
The next hearing is scheduled for October 22nd, and the mother could face 25 years to life in prison if convicted of the main charges.
