Vehicular Homicide Defendant Sentenced to Two Decades in Prison

Three years after a three-vehicle accident on Highway 136 in 2021 left a Deshler man dead and two others injured, including a Lincoln woman accused of vehicular homicide, a sentence has finally been handed down.Raquel A. Bredemeier, age 31, was given to 18 to 20 years in prison by Jefferson County District Court Judge David J.A. Bargen on Thursday, February 1, 2024.More than 35 people sat in the courtroom gallery to witness the sentencing. A small number of those individuals attended nearly every hearing. A few could be heard sobbing as the sentence was read.The defendant was originally charged with unintentional motor vehicle homicide, a class 2A felony which carries a possible penalty of 20 years in prison, as well as DUI (driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs), a class W misdemeanor punishable by 60 days in jail, a $500 fine and a six-month driver's license revocation, and driving left of the center line, an infraction.In November of 2023, the state amended its case against Bredemeier to add a new charge: manslaughter, also a class 2A felony. The defendant was arraigned on the new charge in Jefferson County District Court on Thursday, November 3, 2023.In accordance with a plea agreement, Bredemeier pleaded No Contest to motor vehicle homicide. The remaining charges were dismissed. The AccidentOn Tuesday, January 20, 2021, shortly before 8 p.m., Jefferson County emergency crews were dispatched to the scene of a three-vehicle accident at the intersection of Highway 136 and 571st Avenue. A dispatcher informed responders that there were injuries and one of the vehicles was on fire. Shortly after, the dispatcher said the vehicle was “completely engulfed.”According to the Sheriff's Office, an investigation of the scene determined two vehicles traveling westbound on Highway 136, one following the other. A third vehicle, driven by Bredemeier, traveling eastbound, crossed the center line and struck both vehicles.One of the westbound drivers was identified as Samuel Lindley and pronounced deceased at the scene. Bredemeier and the other driver, Hailey Gehle of Deshler, were transported from the scene by ambulance.The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, Jefferson County Ambulance District 33 and Jefferson County Fire and Rescue were all summoned to the scene. Plymouth Fire and Rescue, Diller Fire and Rescue were also called out to the scene as mutual aid. Highway 136 was closed for several hours as the scene was cleared and investigated.The Nebraska State Patrol was called to the scene to conduct an accident reconstruction. The ProsecutionBefore sentencing, both prosecution and defense made oral arguments.Jefferson County Attorney Joseph Casson noted that there had been no trial and, as such, no jury to ascertain the facts of the case, “So we have, in the Pre-Sentence Investigation (PSI), all the facts and analysis that we need to make a decision on what the sentence should be imposed. Any disputes in the evidence could have been raised at trial and were not.”“I deal routinely with traffic offenses,” said Casson. “Rarely do those cases turn out to be as serious as this case. Our traffic laws are designed in such a way to prevent injury and damage. And then when people follow the traffic laws, there is no damage or injury. And when I'm asked to prosecute people for violating the law, we often find, say, 'Thank goodness, no one was hurt.' And that consolation.”“Well, the thing that we tend to forget is that, we tell our children, newspaper ads, television ads, we admonish people, don't drink and drive,” said Casson. “And this court has an obligation to then impose a sentence with reflects the seriousness of this case and at the same time, convey to the public that there are in fact consequences for drinking and driving and hurting or killing someone.”Casson added, “Otherwise it's a hollow warning to the public.” The DefenseThe defendant was represented by attorney Carlos Monzon, who told the court, “Nothing we do today is going to pull this young man out of the grave.”At a previous hearing, Monzon had said that, if the case had gone to trial, he would have presented a defense of “involuntary intoxication.”“Let's take a look at the circumstances,” said Monzon. “Let's also look at the holes in the PSI.”“A young woman was at a local bar,” said Monzon. “She orders two drinks, beers, goes to the bathroom.”“Very shortly thereafter, she leaves that bar, and what we have is a video of her leaving the bar, and the circumstance of her leaving the bar. And one of the things that made me concerned about this case, she left her cell phone. At that point, she doesn't remember anything,” said Monzon. “It would have been our defense at trial that she was 'roofied.'”“Roofie,” slang for a date-rape drug. Monzon alleged that a drink consumed by Bredemeier prior to the accident had been spiked.The defendant's blood-alcohol level tested at 0.106, which is not enough to cause a blackout.Monzon had arranged for independent testing of the blood sample by a toxocologist.“He came to the conclusion that the amount of benzos (benzodiazepines) that were found in the blood sample,” said Monzon. “That it was enough for her to be in a blackout state.”“Mr. Casson would have argued at trial that the benzos that were found in her system were administered at a hospital,” said Monzon, who accused the hospital of not following proper protocol.Monzon argued that 20 years was inappropriate given the circumstances, “This is not the worst possible offender.”Monzon asked for probation for his client and recommended a number of special conditions, including a 60 day jail sentence every year, beginning on January 20, the anniversary of the accident. He also suggested community service to teach others about the dangers of drinking and driving.The defendant then read a statement in which she apologized to the loved ones of the victim, Samuel Lindley, but also reiterated her attorney's contention that she did not remember the incident. The JudgeThis is a tragic case,” said Judge Bargen to the defendant. “There is no sentence I can give you that will right the wrong.”The judge indicated he did not feel the defendant was, “A fit candidate for probation.”He then sentenced Bredemeier to 18 to 20 years in the Nebraska Department of Corrections, with credit for one day time served.The defendant had been free on a $25,000 (10 percent) bond. That bond was released and a portion would go to pay court costs.Bredemeier has no adult convictions in Nebraska prior to this incident. What Happens NextAt the end of the hearing, Bredemeier was remanded to the custody of the sheriff's office to carry out the sentence.While the sentence was 18 to 20 years, that does not mean Bredemeier will serve that amount of time. According to Nebraska's Good Time Law, she could be eligible for parole in 10 years or possibly less.Bredemeier has 30 days to appeal the judge's decision.

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