Woman accused of killing own child in drunk driving crash opts out of trial
An Inkster woman has admitted to killing her own child in a drunk driving crash in Farmington Hills, opting out of trial a few days before it was to begin.
Shelby Symone Ellis, 30, recently pleaded guilty to operating while intoxicated-causing death for the 2022 crash that ended the life of her 3-year-old child — one of her six children who had been in the car with her. The youngster who died wasn’t in a child seat and wasn’t restrained by a seatbelt when the crash occurred, police said.
Ellis’ blood alcohol level was reportedly measured at .26 percent soon after the crash, which is nearly three times the legal limit.
The crash happened at the intersection of Eight Mile and Inkster roads at around 2:30 a.m. Aug. 27, 2022, when Ellis collided with a vehicle driven by a 33-year-old Detroit man traveling westbound on Eight Mile Road. Ellis and her surviving children — 10, 7, 5, 18 months and 8 months old at the time — as well as the other driver, were injured in the crash, police said.
Ellis had also been charged with operating under the influence of liquor with an occupant less than 16 years old, but prosecutors dismissed that charge — a misdemeanor — with her guilty plea for the other crime.
Sentencing is scheduled for April 4 by Oakland County Circuit Judge Jeffery Matis. Ellis faces up to 15 years in prison and a maximum fine of $10,000.
As stated earlier in court, Ellis had no criminal history prior to the crash, was employed with a cleaning service at Detroit Metropolitan Airport and was attending community college. She’s been out of custody on a personal bond — requiring no cash or surety to be posted — since late August 2022.