*The Honorable Qiana Denise Lillard is not playing. The Wayne County, Michigan Circuit Court judge has gone viral for the way she tossed two people out of her court room and into jail for laughing during a DUI sentencing on Friday.
According to NBC’s Michigan affiliate WDIV, Lillard heard giggles from the family of 25-year-old Amanda Kosal, who admitted she was drunk when she struck an SUV head-on, killing 31-year-old Jerome Zirker and severely injuring his fiancée, 31-year-old Brittany Johnson.
“Whoever can sit here at a tragic moment like this and laugh and smile when somebody has lost a family member … in the entire time that Mr. Zirker’s sister was speaking, that clown — and that’s what I am going to call him, a clown — was sitting there smiling and laughing,” said Lillard.
“And you can go, too,” the judge added, pointing to Kosal’s mother, Donna. “Because if you don’t know how to act, you can go to jail. So leave.”
Lillard told others who dared to “laugh and smirk” to try her, or they could join the woman in jail.
“This is a court of law, and these are very serious matters,” she explained to Kosal’s family. “I understand you all are very upset because your loved one is going to prison — but guess what? She’s going to prison for the choices that she made. These people are here grieving, saddened because a senseless act took away their loved one, and you’re sitting here acting like it’s a joke? …Not in Courtroom 502. Not today and not any other day.”
Watch below:
Amanda Kosal was sentenced to 3 to 15 years in prison for the deadly drunk driving crash that killed Zirker, a father of five, reports WDIV. Her mother, Donna, appeared back in court Friday in front of Lillard. She apologized and her sentence was reportedly reduced from 93 days to one day in jail, time served.
On Saturday, Lillard took to Facebook to thank the millions of people who watched the viral video of her reaction, and those who reached out to her personally.
“Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to visit this page to express your feelings,” she wrote. “I am honored to have the privilege of serving the citizens of Wayne County.”
We Publish News 24/7. Don’t Miss A Story. Click HERE to SUBSCRIBE to Our Newsletter Now!
