Arizona woman sentenced to prison for driving drunk in crash that killed son

PHOENIX – An Arizona woman was sentenced to prison for driving drunk in a crash that killed her 14-year-old son.

Marian Marsha Josytewa, 40, of Polacca, an unincorporated community in Navajo County, was sentenced on Tuesday to 51 months in prison followed by 36 months of supervised release, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona.

Josytewa’s sentencing came after a six-day trial. She was found guilty of one count of involuntary manslaughter, one count of assault resulting in serious bodily injury, two counts of child abuse and one count of driving under the influence, authorities said.

Josytewa went to pick up her two children from a school in Flagstaff after consuming several beers in December 2021.

On the way back to the Hopi Tribe homeland, Josytewa rolled her car on a highway on the Navajo Nation.

During the crash, Josytewa’s unbuckled 14-year-old son was ejected from the car and died as a result, authorities said.

Josytewa’s blood was drawn and tested, showing a blood alcohol level (BAC) of .113. The legal limit in the state of Arizona is a BAC of .08.

She faced a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, a fine of $250,000 and less than three years of supervised release for an assault resulting in serious bodily injury.

She faced an additional eight years in prison, a fine of $250,000 as well as less than three years of supervised release for involuntary manslaughter.

The three other convictions could have also added more than seven years to her prison sentence.

KTAR News’ Kylie Werner contributed to this report.

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