Pardoned Jan. 6 Rioter Sentenced to 10 Years for Killing Mom in Drunken Crash
A Jan. 6 rioter recently pardoned by President Donald Trump was sentenced to 10 years in prison for killing a mother of two while driving drunk.
Emily Hernandez, who was seen holding former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s broken nameplate during the Capitol riots, served 30 days in federal prison in 2022 for a misdemeanor trespassing charge related to Jan. 6.
Hernandez, 24, was driving drunk on the wrong side of the highway in Missouri on Jan. 5, 2022, when she crashed into Victoria and Ryan Wilson, a couple celebrating their 15th wedding anniversary.
Victoria Wilson, 32, died of her injuries. Ryan Wilson was seriously injured in the crash, causing his right foot to become disabled, court documents say.
Hernandez’s attorneys requested that she be given the minimum sentence of just about four months in prison. Her attorneys said she was “extraordinarily remorseful” for her actions.
Hernandez pleaded guilty on Nov. 5 to two counts of driving while intoxicated and was sentenced to 10 years on Wednesday.
“Nothing will ever bring her back,” Victoria Wilson’s mother, Tonie Donaldson, said. “We have an empty hole in my heart that will always be there.”
She left behind two sons, who are now 18 and 13 years old.
Hernandez is now the fourth Jan. 6 rioter who is either wanted, in custody, or has been killed by police since Trump gave blanket pardons to more than 1,500 people on his first day back in office.
