- A children’s birthday party at the Swan Boat Club in Michigan turned tragic when an SUV driven by Marshella Chidester crashed through the building, killing siblings Alanah, eight, and Zayn, four
- Prosecutors alleged the driver was heavily intoxicated, with a blood alcohol level more than twice the legal limit
- A jury found Marshella Chidester guilty on all charges, including second-degree murder, and she was sentenced to 25 to 50 years in prison
Adorable eight-year-old Alanah and her fun-loving four-year-old brother Zayn were bursting with excitement.
The siblings were getting ready for a birthday party at the Swan Boat Club on April 20, 2024, along with their mum, Mariah Dodds, and their 11-year-old brother, Jayden.
The promise of cake, and a fun day of celebration had the children giddy as they dressed up for the special occasion.
But just hours into the party, the happy atmosphere was shattered when a dark blue SUV came crashing through the side of the building. Behind the wheel was 66-year-old Marshella Chidester.
The Swan Boat Club was a major part of Marshella’s life – she lived with her husband just a few streets away. Having served as its commodore – the head of the club – for several years, she was well known
among its members. On this day, she’d been invited to attend the kids’ party.
But as her vehicle ploughed seven metres through the room full of guests, the party was thrown into chaos. It quickly looked like a bomb had gone off.
Amid the destruction and debris it was soon clear that many people had been hurt, some seriously.
With police and ambos soon on the scene, the injured were taken to hospital, but tragically two died – Zayn and Alanah. Their mother and brother were both among the seriously injured.
Marshella Chidester was arrested at the scene.
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When the children’s father, Brian Phillips, who was separated from Mariah, was told, his pain was unbearable.
The kids had been at his home the day before. He later told The Detroit News, ‘I feel like I should’ve never let them go. They should’ve stayed at my house.’
Surrounded by memories of his children, Brian remembered Zayn as his ‘little red-headed firecracker.’
In an interview with The Monroe News, he recalled the four-year-old as loving, sensitive and always laughing, often carrying around a backpack filled with his favourite toys.
Heartbreakingly, Zayn had been counting down the days to his fifth birthday.
‘Instead of planning his birthday party, we planned his funeral,’ Brian said.
Alanah loved watching her dad play basketball and was excited to learn the game herself. Creative and full of energy, she was always drawing – on her clothes and even the walls.
Her favourite movie was Lilo and Stitch, and in a heartbreaking tribute, the characters featured on her small coffin.
Their mum Mariah suffered broken ribs, a punctured lung, cuts and bruises and ended up on a ventilator. Eldest son Jayden also suffered horrific injuries in the crash and was left in critical condition with a head
injury, broken bones and a shattered leg.
Chidester was charged with two counts of second-degree murder, as well as multiple counts of operating under the influence causing death and serious injury.
She’d told police that she had passed out before the crash and claimed she’d had only consumed one glass of wine that day.
At a hearing in July 2024, Marshella Chidester entered a plea of not guilty.
In the Monroe County Court, Michigan, US, in March 2025, prosecutors said, after the incident, Chidester had registered a blood alcohol reading of 0.18 – more than twice the legal limit – and she’d been
driving at high speed when her car slammed into the club.
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They argued that because of her alcohol reading, she’d had more to drink during the day before the fatal accident, than she’d said.
During the trial, her lawyer, Bill Colovos, argued she’d suffered a seizure behind the wheel and did not remember the crash.
A barman confirmed that Marshella had consumed a glass of wine at the nearby Verna’s Tavern along with a bowl of chicken chilli prior to the incident.
However, prosecutors presented shocking evidence suggesting otherwise, including security video footage found in Chidester’s own home that showed her with multiple glasses of wine in the hours before she left the house.
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‘All the evidence shows the drink wasn’t her first, or last, of the day,’ assistant prosecutor Ken Laurain told the court.
Chidester’s defence team suggested a possible leg issue may have caused her to press the accelerator unintentionally.
Questions were also raised about Chidester’s medical history. She told police she had previously suffered seizures, including one that left her hospitalised for 10 days just weeks earlier. Despite this, she’d been cleared to drive a car.
When asked how intoxicated she’d felt on a scale of zero to 10, Chidester reportedly answered, ‘Seven’.
‘I wouldn’t want to drive,’ she admitted.
The jury rejected the defence lawyer’s arguments, and Marshella Chidester was found guilty on all charges, after just two hours deliberation.
On May 15, 2025, in the Monroe County court, the then 67 year-old was sentenced to 25 to 50 years in jail, and will be eligible for parole after 25 years.
Before the sentence was handed down, Chidester addressed the court.
‘…her first words on waking in hospital after the crash were, ‘Where are my children?’
‘I am so very, very sorry for the loss of your children,’ she said.
But for their parents, no apology could ever ease the heartbreak and pain. In a powerful victim impact statement, Brian spoke directly to the woman who had killed his children.
‘What you took from me, I will never, ever get back,’ he said. ‘I don’t wish nothing but the worst for you, and I hope you feel what we feel every day.’
The children’s mother, Mariah, was left devastated. Her lawyer said her first words on waking in hospital after the crash were, ‘Where are my children?’
In court she’d said the last thing she remembered from that day was getting her children a cake pop. Next she knew she was being told they were dead.
The tragedy left a permanent scar, and their dad battles to come to terms with the loss of his children.
‘To get them taken from me has been a dagger in my heart,’ he said.
He has one clear message for others, telling reporters after the verdict, ‘If you’re at home and you’re drunk, there should be no reason for you to leave.
‘The moment she made that decision, everything changed,’ he said.
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