Woman with ties to Capitol riot pleads guilty in fatal DWI crash
A Franklin County woman who admitted participating in the U.S. Capitol insurrection pleaded guilty this week in a fatal DWI crash on Interstate 44.
Emily Elyse Hernandez pleaded guilty Tuesday in Franklin County Circuit Court to two felonies: DWI involving the death of another, and DWI involving serious physical injury.
Hernandez was featured in an iconic photo from the Jan. 6, 2021, riots at the U.S. Capitol, holding the nameplate of then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
The fatal crash, meanwhile, was on Jan. 5, 2022, on the eve of the one-year anniversary of the Capitol attack.
Victoria N. Wilson, 32, of St. Clair, died in the crash. Wilson's husband, Ryan E. Wilson, 36, was injured.
Hernandez, 25, of Sullivan, was driving the wrong way in the eastbound lanes of Interstate 44 near mile marker 236.4, west of St. Clair and east of a rest stop.
Her 2014 Volkswagen Passat nearly collided with several vehicles before striking the Wilsons' 2019 Buick Enclave.
Victoria Wilson was a home health care aide who worked primarily with disabled adults and children. She was the mother of two boys, ages 15 and 10.
A preliminary breath test showed Hernandez had a blood-alcohol content of .20%, authorities said. The legal limit to drive a vehicle in Missouri is .08%. Hernandez refused a blood test, but a blood sample was obtained with a search warrant.
Defense lawyer Ethan Corlija said Hernandez pleaded guilty on Tuesday before Judge Ryan Helfrich, with several of the Wilsons' relatives in the courtroom. Sentencing is set for Jan. 29, Corlija said.
The charge for Victoria Wilson's death carries a potential penalty of five to 15 years in prison. The second charge has a range of one to seven years in prison. Corlija said the judge also has the option of giving Hernandez probation.
The fatal crash occurred 6 days before Hernandez was scheduled to plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge of entering and remaining in a restricted building.
She did plead guilty, and admitted entering the Capitol before stealing two signs and a piece of a sign bearing Pelosi's name while in Pelosi's suite of offices. A smiling, flag-draped Hernandez was captured in photos and videos from that day, holding the piece of the Pelosi sign aloft.
In April 2022, a federal judge sentenced Hernandez to 30 days behind bars for her role in the insurrection.
Emily Hernandez of Sullivan, William "Bill" Merry of St. Louis County and Paul Scott Westover of Lake Saint Louis all got jail time for their actions during the insurrection.
The wrong-way crash killed Victoria N. Wilson, 32, and injured her husband Ryan E. Wilson, 36, who were on their way home from an anniversary celebration.
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