MARICOPA COUNTY, Ariz. — A drunk driver has been sentenced to 26 years in prison for causing a crash in Maricopa that killed a 21-year-old woman.
Chelsea Edwards, 20, was sentenced Friday in Pinal County after a jury convicted her of second-degree murder and aggravated assault.
The defendant was driving near Fanner Drive and Ralston Road on Nov. 27, 2022 when her vehicle hit the back of a truck, causing the truck to veer into oncoming traffic and hit another vehicle.
A young woman was ejected from one of the vehicles and succumbed to her injuries. Another person sustained severe injuries.
The Pinal County Attorney's Office said Edwards was driving at 119 mph in an area with a posted speed limit of 45 mph.
Edwards, who was 19 at the time, had a blood alcohol level of 0.13, nearly double the state's legal limit. The defendant further admitted to smoking marijuana before the crash.
"This tragic case is yet another example of what can happen when you choose to drive impaired," Pinal County Attorney Kent Volkmer said in a statement.
UP TO SPEED
What is the Valley?:
“The Valley” is what locals call the Phoenix Metropolitan Area. It is considered the largest metropolitan area in the Southwest.
The Valley is made up of various major cities other than Phoenix, including:
- Mesa
- Chandler
- Scottsdale
- Tempe
- Glendale
- Surprise
- Peoria
- Gilbert
- El Mirage
- Avondale
- Litchfield Park
- Goodyear
- Buckeye
Whether a city is in the “East Valley” or “West Valley” depends on where it is in relation to Phoenix.
The cities of the Valley have a combined population of 4,845,832 people, according to the 2020 United States Census. This makes it the 11th largest metropolitan area in the country right behind the Boston and Atlanta areas.
How big is Maricopa County?
Maricopa County is the United States’ 4th largest county in terms of population with 4,485,414 people, according to the 2020 Census.
The county contains around 63% of Arizona’s population and is 9,224 square miles. That makes the county larger than seven U.S. states (Rhode Island, Delaware, Connecticut, Hawaii, New Jersey, Massachusetts and New Hampshire).
One of the largest park systems in the nation is also located in Maricopa County. The county has an estimated 120,000 acres of open space parks that includes hundreds of miles of trails, nature centers and campgrounds.
The county’s seat is located in Phoenix, which is also the state capital and the census-designated 5th most populous city in the United States.
The county was named after the Maricopa, or Piipaash, Native American Tribe.