A Milwaukee courtroom was left divided after Amandria Brunner was found not guilty on all six criminal counts connected to the crash that killed two Marquette University lacrosse players.
The victims, 19-year-old Scott Michaud and 20-year-old Noah Snyder, were passengers in an SUV carrying members of the Marquette men’s lacrosse team when the collision happened near North 27th Street and West St. Paul Avenue in Milwaukee.
Brunner had been accused of homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle, homicide by use of a vehicle with a prohibited alcohol concentration, and homicide by use of a vehicle involving a controlled substance. But after hearing the evidence, jurors acquitted her on every count.
The verdict brought visible emotion from both sides of the courtroom. Brunner was reportedly emotional as the not guilty decisions were read, while the families of the two young men were left grieving another painful turn in a tragedy that has already devastated the Marquette community.
The crash happened last fall as Brunner was turning at the intersection. Prosecutors said she was intoxicated and had THC in her system, arguing that her condition made her legally responsible for the deadly outcome.
But the defense focused on a different part of the crash: the actions of the driver of the SUV carrying the lacrosse players. Prosecutors said that driver, teammate Peter McColgan, was traveling close to 60 miles per hour while trying to beat a yellow light.
McColgan has been charged separately with two counts of homicide by negligent operation of a vehicle. When he was called to testify during Brunner’s trial, he invoked his Fifth Amendment right and did not answer questions.
That became a key part of the defense’s argument. Brunner’s attorneys did not deny that she had been drinking, but they argued that prosecutors still had to prove her impairment caused the crash.
In other words, the legal question was not only whether Brunner was intoxicated. The jury also had to decide whether her intoxication was a substantial factor in the deaths of Michaud and Snyder.
The defense argued that the crash would have happened even if a sober driver had been in Brunner’s position, because of the speed and actions of the SUV driver. They told jurors that Brunner was not legally at fault for the collision itself.
Prosecutors pushed back, arguing that both drivers could share responsibility. They said McColgan’s driving and Brunner’s impaired driving could both have contributed to the deaths.
But the jury ultimately accepted the defense’s position. Their verdict showed they were not convinced beyond a reasonable doubt that Brunner’s intoxication legally caused the fatal crash.
That distinction is what has made the case so difficult for many people to understand. To the public, the fact that Brunner was intoxicated may feel like enough, but criminal law often requires prosecutors to prove a direct connection between the impaired driving and the fatal result.
The acquittal does not end every possible legal matter connected to the crash. Brunner could still face civil claims, and McColgan’s separate criminal case is expected to continue.
Marquette University said after the verdict that its focus remains on supporting the campus community and the men’s lacrosse team. For the families of Scott Michaud and Noah Snyder, the verdict leaves painful questions behind, while the legal system now turns toward the next case tied to the same devastating crash.
