Marissa’s killer had been convicted of DUIs in 4 different states over the past 10 years. His first DUI was in Texas in 2011 followed by another DUI in Oklahoma that same year. He was then convicted of Public Intoxication in Oklahoma in 2013. His third DUI conviction was in Kansas in 2013. Other arrests were made in Kansas before his 4th DUI conviction in Oklahoma in 2016. His last DUI conviction was in Louisiana in 2018. Every time he was arrested and convicted of DUI he was released on probation or his sentence was suspended and he walked away essentially free of consequences. His 6th DUI arrest was the murder of Marissa in 2020.
Many questions about how the system failed our daughter are yet to be answered. Specifically, how was her killer allowed to drive with a valid Driver’s License in Oklahoma? Were his arrests and convictions in the other states known by each previous judge at his sentencings? Why did he go unpunished over and over again until he finally killed Marissa?
We hope to get answers to these questions and many more. This cannot happen to anyone else. We want to make sure data is being shared from state to state and that Driver’s Licenses can be revoked if appropriate. Also, the sentencing should reflect the previous record of the driver, regardless of what state those other crimes were committed in. We believe moving from state to state shouldn’t erase prior convictions.