IONIA, Mich. — The trial of Mandy Benn continued Wednesday in Ionia County. Benn is accused of driving under the influence when she hit and killed two bicyclists during a Make-A-Wish charity ride last year.
The 43-year-old faces more than a dozen charges, including second-degree murder and operating under the influence causing death.
Prosecutors presented evidence Wednesday that was recovered from the scene, and experts testified about the three kinds of pills that were found in the car Benn was driving— hydrocodone, lorazepam and temazepam.
Several others testified Wednesday about their interactions with Benn after the crash, including police and hospital staff.
“Everything from her speech pattern to the way she walked, to the occasional stumbling, the occasional balance issue, the lack of awareness of what was going on in the area, the slurred speech,” Detective Sargeant Phillip Hesche with the Ionia Could Sheriff’s Office recalled.
“I noticed some cuts and scratches on her face, and she didn’t really know what was going on, where she was,” Hailey Lynn Gibson, a phlebotomist at Sparrow Hospital added. “She kept asking me what I was doing multiple times, didn’t really know, couldn’t remember what I had just told her a couple of seconds ago…She was kind of out of it, not really knowing what was going on.”
Thomas Edwin Fick with Michigan State Police also testified Wednesday. The trooper took Benn into custody after a different incident back in 2017.
He says he had suspected that she had been under the influence then.
"At that time, she was seemingly lethargic, slow to respond. When she would respond, it would be, I would often have to ask again for her to repeat what she had said because her speech was slurred," he recalled. "When she would blink, I noticed, especially in the direct sunlight that morning, is that her pupils, when it changed, wouldn't have much of an effect."
Benn’s trial began Monday when several witnesses testified, including a cyclist who was hurt in the crash.
The trial continued late into the evening Wednesday and will resume Thursday.
If convicted, Benn faces up to life in prison.
