Woman sentenced to prison for deadly drunken driving crash in Warwick

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — A Woonsocket woman was sentenced to prison after pleading to driving under the influence and causing a deadly crash.

The Rhode Island Attorney General’s Office said Tuesday that 33-year-old Audriana Hill was sentenced to 15 years in prison with eight to serve, with a seven-year suspended sentence and 15 years of probation.

At a hearing two weeks ago, Hill entered a plea of nolo contendere to one count of driving under the influence, death resulting.

Prosecutors said Hill drove drunk on Dec. 7, 2021 and caused a crash in Warwick that killed 25-year-old Caleb Winfrey.

“This tragedy was completely avoidable, and unfortunately we see impaired driving cases like this one all too often,” said Warwick Police Chief Bradford Connor.

Police said Hill was driving in a Kia K5 at about 81 miles per hour on Bald Hill Road, and according to the crash investigation, never applied the brakes before crashing into a Toyota Corolla driven by Winfrey.

First responders rescued Hill from her vehicle using the Jaws of Life. Witnesses said Hill had two empty nips in her clothes, and that she smelled like alcohol.

Investigators later found four open containers of alcohol at the crash scene. One witness told police they saw Hill drive through a “solid” red light before hitting Winfrey.

Hill and Winfrey were rushed to Rhode Island Hospital.

Winfrey died of his injuries a few weeks after the crash.