The Bryan County woman charged in the fatal crash that killed 35-year-old Donna Pitts and seriously injured Donna Bocook was sentenced in Bryan County Superior Court Thursday.
Background
35-year-old Jacqlyn Morgan Bacot-Henderson was driving a GMC Acadia on December 6, 2024 just before 4:00 p.m. when she caused a three-vehicle collision on Highway 17 near Ponderosa Road in Richmond Hill. Bacot hit a Kia Soul from behind, lost control of the vehicle, and crashed into a Toyota Highlander that was stopped at a stop sign. Donna Michelle Pitts, a passenger in the Kia Soul driven by her grandmother, was killed in the crash. A pregnant woman and her one-year-old child in the Highlander suffered minor injuries.
Court documents revealed that Bacot-Henderson was driving over 100 mph in a 45 mph zone, that the crash was captured on camera, and that she had consumed alcohol prior to the collision.
Troopers said in their report that Bacot-Henderson was ‘chugging a Burger King cup of some form of liquid’ when they arrived on scene and she was crying and ‘very argumentative’ with bystanders. She told Troopers that ‘the car in front of her slammed on brakes’ and she didn’t remember anything else. She first denied having any alcohol, but later admitted having a glass of wine at 4:30 p.m., though the crash occurred at 3:56 p.m. Two Troopers indicated they smelled alcohol on her breath, her steps were staggered, and she used the patrol car to stabilize herself. They also noted bloodshot/watery eyes, and confused, mumbled, and slurred speech, among other things. (Read full article on report here)
Ultimately, Bacot-Henderson was indicted on seven counts in a special grand jury presentment in March 2025:
1 – Homicide by Vehicle in the First Degree (felony)
2 – Homicide by Vehicle in the First Degree (felony)
3 – Serious Injury by Vehicle (felony)
4 – Serious Injury by Vehicle (felony)
5 – Driving Under the Influence (Less Safe – Alcohol) (misdemeanor)
6 – Reckless Driving (misdemeanor)
7 – Making a False Statement (felony)
Bacot-Henderson entered a guilty plea in September of this year and was given a sentencing date of November 13.
Court records also indicate that Bacot-Henderson was charged with DUI in Chatham County in 2015. The Accusation filed by then-District Attorney Meg Heap stated that Bacot-Henderson was Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol while speeding on I-16. The charge was reduced to ‘Reckless Driving’ and she was ordered to serve 12 months on probation and pay $1,600 in fines and court fees. In March 2017, the case was ‘unsuccessfully closed,’ with court notes indicating Bacot-Henderson was ‘unsuccessful’ on probation, failed to complete 8 community service hours, and did not pay her court ordered fines of $1,713.50.
Sentencing Hearing
During Thursday’s sentencing hearing, ADA Greg McConnell told the court that while the plea was ‘open ended,’ the state and defense had agreed to a ‘cap’ on total sentence and confinement. Bacot-Henderson was facing 3-15 years for the Homicide by Vehicle charge and 1-15 years for the Serious Injury by Vehicle charge. McConnell said that the cap agreed to was 12 years for the total sentence with six of those years to be served in confinement.
McConnell then presented the facts once again, recounting that Bacot-Henderson had admitted to Richmond Hill police that she had been speeding, that witnesses observed her sitting in her husband’s truck, chugging water, and that she initially lied to Troopers about consuming alcohol on the day of the crash. He told the court that Bacot-Henderson was traveling at 105 mph just before the crash and vehicle data showed she was traveling at 85mph at the time of impact.
Some accounts indicated Bacot-Henderson consumed a full glass of wine and three cups of beer and a search warrant obtained by Troopers for the blood drawn at Memorial Hospital indicated that 5 ½ hours after the crash, Bacot-Henderson’s BAC was 0.02. McConnell said the GBI Crime Lab reported that if the BAC was retrograded to account for the rate of elimination, it is likely that her BAC was 0.097 at the time of the crash. McConnell also noted that, for some unknown reason, EMTs were requested at the Richmond Hill Police Department for a blood draw, but never arrived, leading to the delay in drawing blood.
McConnell presented Judge Rose with written victim impact statements, which were also sent to the court the day before, and with Bacot- Henderson’s prior conviction, submitted in the state’s argument for aggravation.
Defense Character Witnesses
The Court heard from a number of witnesses on Bacot-Henderson’s behalf, including a former co-worker, a family friend, her husband, and a psychologist who had evaluated Bacot-Henderson after the crash. Her attorney, Kurtis Bronston, questioned each of them on their relationship with Bacot-Henderson.
Julie Zona, who worked with Bacot-Henderson before she was terminated, told the court that Bacot-Henderson was a ‘very sweet, caring, loving hearted, good friend to people.’ She said the crash weighs on her and she knows she made a mistake, but would never do it intentionally. She asked for forgiveness of Bacot-Henderson and for mercy.
Jean Rhinehart, who has known Bacot-Henderson her entire life, shared how she lost her sister in a crash nine weeks ago, but that she knows God has a perfect plan and bitterness is a cancer of the soul. She said God knew when He planned to call Donna Pitts home and that while she was disappointed in Bacot-Henderson’s carelessness that day, she is deeply sorry. She urged forgiveness for Bacot-Henderson’s ‘mistake’ and asked for mercy for a woman who is a good person, loved by so many people.
Hunter Henderson, husband of Bacot-Henderson, testified that when he arrived at the scene of the crash, his wife was trying to help a second family and he noticed that she had blood on her face and sweatshirt because she was bleeding from her mouth. He put her in his vehicle because it was cold and she reported having a headache, so he got her a cheeseburger and water. He said he didn’t notice the swaying that was reported by Troopers and said since the crash, his wife has been depressed, doesn’t want to go anywhere, cries a lot, gets emotional when passing the scene of the crash, and prays daily for the family of Donna Pitts. He said Bacot-Henderson told him she had one half of a glass of wine and that there was still a half of the glass in the glass when he got home that evening.
On cross examination, McConnell pressed Henderson on the field sobriety indications he said he did not observe. Henderson said he did not notice Bacot-Henderson was swaying, he never saw her stagger, he did not see her use the patrol car for balance, he never smelled alcohol on her breath, he never saw her bloodshot eyes, and he did not notice any slurred speech.
The defense then called Dr. Black to the stand, who testified about the findings of his four-hour evaluation of Bacot-Henderson, who he diagnosed with ‘chronic PTSD.’ Dr. Black said the trauma was a direct result of the crash and that Bacot-Henderson needed extensive treatment multiple times per week in conjunction with the support of her family. He testified that the care she needed would not be available in prison and, if left untreated, the PTSD would be harder to treat, like that of Vietnam veterans. Black said he found Bacot-Henderson’s remorse to be ‘significant and sincere.’
On cross examination, McConnell asked Dr. Black if he had worked with people with substance abuse and alcohol consumption, which he answered affirmatively. He then asked Black if he would expect someone who consumed a half of a glass of wine five and a half hours before a blood draw to still have alcohol in their blood, to which Black answered he would not.
Bacot-Henderson Makes a Statement, Is Cross Examined
After hearing from character witnesses, Bacot-Henderson tearfully addressed the court herself, offering her ‘sincerest remorse’ and taking ‘full responsibility.’ She said she understood the magnitude and made no excuses for her behavior. She apologized to the family of Pitts and Pitts’ grandmother, who was seriously injured in the crash, as well as the family of the second vehicle. “I wish it had been me,” she told the court. “I’m incredibly sorry. I’m so sorry.”
On cross examination, McConnell grilled Bacot-Henderson about her alcohol, her speed, and what she remembered. Bacot-Henderson said she remembered ‘bits and pieces’ of what happened and that she was speeding because she wanted to get back home to take care of the squirrels that had fallen from a nest in the yard. She’d been at Tractor Supply, getting supplies before the crash. She said she did not remember going as fast as she was and she was looking behind her to change lanes just before the impact.
Arguments by Attorneys
Bronston offered his condolences to the family and said the incident was a ‘tragic accident.’ He asked the court to consider that Bacot-Henderson turned herself in the same day she learned of the warrants and entered a guilty plea less than a year after the crash, accepting responsibility and admitting to her alcohol consumption. He told Judge Rose that Bacot-Henderson had a level of remorse he had never seen before, that she was a very good person, and she had insurmountable guilt.
He also said the Henderson family has been harassed and threatened over the last eleven months, including having a dead animal placed in their mail box, and that Bacot-Henderson has ‘basically been unemployable,’ after she was fired from her job and let go from another before she even began working.
Bronston asked the court to sentence Bacot-Henderson to a sentence of probation only, suspending the three-year minimum term in confinement, and approve a sentence under the First Offender Act, which would eliminate the conviction from her record at the end of her sentence.
ADA McConnell refuted Bronston’s characterization and said that it was not a tragic accident because Bacot-Henderson consciously drank and consciously drove at a high rate of speed. “This was not an accident,” he said as he lamented that Donna Pitts, a mother of three, was killed in the prime of her life. He also noted that Pitts’ grandmother was suffering lifelong debilitating injuries.
“And she [Bacot-Henderson] is still trying to convince the court that she only had a half of a glass of wine. That’s absurd,” McConnell said. He also said that Bacot-Henderson had not taken responsibility because she refused the blood test, initially lied about consuming alcohol, and tried to blame the crash on the other vehicle.
He asked the court to sentence her to a twelve year sentence with six years in prison, which he said was fair and consistent with other verdicts for the same offenses. He also asked the court to consider special conditions of probation, including affirmative duties to report law enforcement interactions with a probation officer, random drug testing, and submission of her prison disciplinary record.
McConnell did not take a position on the First Offender Act.
Sentence and Comments by the Court
Judge Rose told Bacot-Henderson that he listened to all the testimony given in court, and he respected what they had to say. “I’m sure you are a good person. But what you didn’t hear was the victim impact statement, which detailed the tragic loss of a young mother and the impacts of the injuries to Mrs. Bocook.”
He said the witnesses were horrified by her driving at over 100 mph because they could see what was about to happen. “You had to know something was about to happen.” He said her actions were not just a mistake and they cannot be explained.
Judge Rose said he researched similar cases in the judicial circuit and he could find no instance where straight probation was offered for Vehicular Homicide in the first degree, but that he did believe she deserved some credit for accepting responsibility. He detailed how individuals charged with fleeing from an officer where no one is injured are mandated to serve one year in prison and there’s no judicial discretion there. “This is much more serious, so the sentence has to be something more than that,” he told her.
Rose ultimately sentenced Bacot-Henderson to a sentence of 12 years, four of which were ordered to be served in prison.
- Count 2 – VH1 – 4 years in prison, 8 years on probation
- Count 4 – Serious injury by Vehicle – 4 years in prison, 8 years on probation, concurrent to Count 2.
He agreed to impose all of the conditions suggested by the state and also granted Bacot-Henderson First Offender status.
Bronston asked for a ten day grace period before Bacot-Henderson would have to turn herself into the jail to be turned over to the Department of Corrections. The state objected, prompting the court to ask Bronston why she needed ten days. Bronston answered that she needed to get her affairs in order.
“No, she knew this day was coming. She will be remanded,” Rose answered. He then ordered a ten minute recess, at which time Bacot-Henderson was given the opportunity to say goodbye to her family and friends.
