His wedding ring came back in a plastic bag.

Hours after marrying Samantha, Aric Hutchinson was fighting for his life while his bride was gone, their celebration shattered by a drunk driver. As donations poured in and a prison sentence followed, one memory remained unbearably clear for the grieving groom: her wish that their wedding night could last fore…

On April 28, 2023, Samantha Hutchinson was killed when a drunk driver struck the golf cart carrying her, her new husband, Aric, and two relatives from their reception in Folly Beach, South Carolina.

Aric survived with multiple broken bones and a brain injury. His mother, Annette, launched a fundraiser to help with burial expenses and medical costs; the campaign drew more than $734,000, according to the supplied report.

Weeks afterward, Aric described struggling to comprehend how such happiness had become devastating loss.

On December 2, 2024, driver Jamie Lee Komoroski pleaded guilty to charges stemming from the crash and received prison sentences running concurrently, totaling 25 years.

She expressed regret and acknowledged she could not undo what happened. For Samantha’s mother, Lisa Miller, the punishment could never restore what her family had lost. Her daughter would not return when a sentence ended: their grief, she said, would last a lifetime.