Driver allegedly under the influence indicted after woman killed when car struck Birmingham building
A Fairfield woman has been indicted in a 2021 crash that killed her passenger when the vehicle slammed into a Birmingham building.
A Jefferson County grand jury on May 17 indicted Zahriya Riana Miller, 27, on a charge of reckless manslaughter, according to court records made public Tuesday.
Killed was 25-year-old Samone Lashundra Newell, also of Fairfield.
The wreck happened at 1:25 a.m. Friday, Oct. 29, 2021, at 1625 Warrior Road.
The vehicle was heading eastbound and coming off a curve.
Police said it appeared the driver – now identified as Miller – lost control and struck a small business there.
The vehicle, according to workers at the building, went through a double brick wall and all the way into business.
Miller and Newell were taken to Princeton Baptist Medical Center where Newell was pronounced dead at 2:13 a.m.
The indictment alleges Miller was under the influence of alcohol when she struck the building.
Miller was initially arrested in November 2023, and is out of jail on $30,000 bond.