50 Years In Prison

No one in the courtroom could believe what they heard. 50 years in prison. Justice was served for Melissa, Kortlynn and Daisy. Three best friends who became the victims of one man and his choice to drink and drive.

On December 23, 2016, best friends Melissa Marie Frilot, 19, Kortlynn Breanna Smith, 19, and Daisy Byrd, 19, were hit head-on by a drunk driver who crossed 4 lanes of traffic after leaving a bar in Inman, SC. Melissa and Kortlynn lost their lives and Daisy sustained 2 broken legs and a broken arm in the crash. With a blood alcohol content of .245 the drunk driver was so intoxicated that he was unaware of the fact that he sustained a broken neck in the crash as he attempted to flee the scene making it 100 yards before he was stopped by witnesses.

On August 24, 2017 with approximately 40 supporters for the families in the courtroom, 3 tearful mothers delivered their victim impact statements to Judge Hayes of Spartanburg. The only sounds while the mothers spoke were the muffled sobs of Daisy, the sole survivor of the crash. Click on this link to read Annette Frilot’s statement.

Judge Hayes issued consecutive 25-year prison sentences on the 2 felony DUI with death results cases and a concurrent 15-year prison sentence on the felony DUI with great bodily injury results case for a total of 50 years. These are the maximum sentences allowed for these charges under SC state law. The drunk driver will have to serve 85% of the sentences before being considered for parole which is 42 ½ years. From information that we were able to obtain, this sentence is one of only two that total 50 years pertaining to the crimes of Felony DUI in SC. MADD SC appreciates Judge Mark Hayes’ gravity in issuing these sentences and hopes that other judges around the state and country will follow suit and sentence offenders accordingly. We also greatly appreciate the diligence and care that Solicitor Barry Barnette and his staff exhibited while seeking justice for Melissa, Kortlynn, Daisy and their families.