Friday's verdict came after four hours of deliberations, and means that Pittman faces 5-10 years for the manslaughter charge, and 1-5 years for the endangerment charge. She was originally charged with wanton murder after the August 15, 2011 crash on U.S. 68 that killed Stephen J. "Jimmy" Harper.
Friday's proceedings were emotional, as Pittman took the stand to say she did not remember specifics of the crash, but she was not impaired while driving, or she would have called her mother. She explained that she let her friend, Holly Heitt, ride with her because she did not want to fight about it when she left the house where they had been drinking. Heitt was reportedly drunk, beligerent, and scuffling with Pittman in the vehicle just before the crash.
At one point, when asked how she felt afterwards, Pittman recalled breaking down when she heard someone had died, and wishing that she had died instead of Harper. The Paducah Sun reports she claimed responsibility for the accident, and apologized to Harper's family members. Pittman pointed out that she is not a murderer, but she did made a mistake.
The jury will return Tuesday at 9:00 am to recommend Pittman's sentence.
