A drunk driver who mowed down a mother and her son on Halloween in 2021 apologized for the callous comments she made to her father after the fatal crash as she begged to be released on parole, according to a report.
Kesley Pope, 24, begged a Utah parole board to be released from prison three years after killing 43-year-old Season Dow and Dow’s 16-year-old son Toby in court in Orem on Aug. 27, where they were facing charges. was the first to address the sickening comments. , local news channel KUTV reported.
CUTV received phone calls between Pope and her father, Jeff Pope, after she was arrested and blamed the victims for their deaths.
The Dows were on their way home from an Andrea Bocelli concert in Salt Lake City when they stopped on Interstate 15 in Utah County when they ran out of gas.
Pope, who was 22 at the time and twice over the legal limit, rammed into the car while it was on the shoulder.
Season Dow died at the scene while Toby was flown to an area hospital where he later succumbed to his injuries.
“Some are already at fault for running out of gas on the highway, that’s against the law,” Jeff tells her daughter in a phone call to Utah State Prison, where she is serving up to 10 years in prison, according to KUTV.
“Yes,” Kesley answers from behind bars before she is finally sentenced.
In another disturbing conversation, just 17 days after the horrific wreck, Kesley called her father Jeff and coolly told him she was “just so happy that this is my first offense ever.”
“Oh yeah, you’re so lucky there, I mean it’s life changing,” Jeff replied.
“It’s your first offense, they’re always nice to first offenders,” he continued, to which she replied that she knew.
During Pope’s parole hearing, she said she saw the report about the calls to the local news.
“I would like to apologize for being disturbed by this news clip I saw last night. “I am so sorry for some of the things my family said,” she said. “Whatever was said of my family, it was so wrong and it’s my fault, and I’ll never say it wasn’t my fault.”
“My heart hurts so much for you and your family,” Pope told the parole board. “My selfish decision has broken your innocent family, and I wish I could take that decision back every day.”
Christian Dow, Season’s wife and Toby’s husband, was in the courtroom for the parole hearing. He told KUTV he was shocked to hear Pope and her father’s phone conversations.
“It appears that no responsibility has been taken from the Papal Family in this matter. Because they blamed my family for that accident, saying it was their fault, and took no responsibility or liability for the fact that Ms. Pope was drunk and driving a vehicle without insurance,” he said.
He said Kesley should stay in prison for 10 years and take responsibility.
Christian Dow has filed a civil lawsuit against Kesley and her father for negligence and wrongful death.
Pope told the parole board that she is back in a treatment program and detailed her history of drinking.
She started drinking when she was 18 after moving to Costa Rica, where she was of legal drinking age. Both of her parents, who were not present at the hearing, struggle with substance abuse, she claimed.
If she were released on parole, she would live with her grandfather, who was in the courtroom.
A decision is expected sometime in late September, the board said.
