MONROE, Mich. — The attorney for a woman accused of drunkenly driving her car through the wall of a Monroe County boat club in April 2024, killing two children and injuring a dozen other people, continued presenting his case Thursday morning with an expert on blood testing.

Marshella Chidester, 67, is charged with second-degree murder charges in the deaths of Zayn Phillips, 4, and his sister, Alanah Phillips, 8. She also is charged with two counts of operating under the influence of alcohol causing death and five counts of operating under the influence of alcohol causing serious injury.

Prosecutors wrapped up their case Wednesday after calling 27 witnesses over the course of three days to testify against Chidester, who they say had a 0.18 blood alcohol content at the time of the crash. Witnesses Tuesday testified that she was going 44 mph when she hit the side of the Swan Boat Club, just moments after she had struck a tree and her neighbor's truck.

But Chidester’s attorney, Bill Colovos, said his client had a seizure that made her feet flatten and push the gas pedal to the floor of her Ford Edge midsize SUV. He's also raised concerns about the accuracy of the blood alcohol testing, suggesting fermentation may have been a factor.

Colovos planned to call his blood testing expert Thursday morning. He had originally intended to have Chidester's doctor, who is facing his own criminal case in Wayne County for alleged health care fraud, testify, but Colovos said he has so far been unable to find Dr. Ram Garg.

Colovos presented two witnesses Wednesday afternoon: a Monroe County Sheriff's Office lieutenant who spoke only briefly, as he had already testified for prosecutors Tuesday, and the server at Verna's Tavern who had waited on Chidester the day of the crash.

Testimony and arguments are expected to conclude Thursday, then the case will go to the jury for deliberations.

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