A day that began with Orchid resident Elizabeth Jewkes-Danielsen pleading guilty to vehicular homicide in the May 10, 2022, death of an elderly John’s Island resident took a bizarre turn a few hours later Monday and ended with her husband Paul Danielsen facing a possible criminal charge for not disclosing information about the couple’s drinking before the fatal crash.
In Circuit Court Judge Robert Meadows’ criminal courtroom in the morning, Jewkes-Danielsen – charged with driving her black Mercedes at a high rate of speed with a blood-alcohol content of three times the legal limit, and striking the vehicle containing Christopher and Frances Ingraham on A1A just outside an entrance to John’s Island in Indian River Shores – said she was changing her not guilty plea “because I’m guilty.”
Christopher Ingraham died of his injuries several days after the crash. His wife was seriously injured.
“Thank you for taking responsibility,” said Meadows following Jewkes-Danielsen’s admission of guilt, and he told her the charge carries a sentence of up to 15 years in prison plus a $10,000 fine.
A DUI manslaughter charge was tabled pending a sentencing hearing on June 13th at which the victims’ family members and Jewkes-Danielsen’s family members are expected to speak.
But before Jewkes-Danielsen is sentenced in the criminal proceedings in June, she is scheduled to face a civil court trial for the same actions from May 2022. The Ingrahams’ family members and Christopher Ingraham’s estate filed suit for negligence and wrongful death against both Jewkes-Danielsen and husband Paul Danielsen, who worked as a federal appeals attorney in California.
The husband and wife are represented by separate attorneys, as Jewkes-Danielsen has asserted her Fifth Amendment rights under the U.S. Constitution throughout the civil trial as her criminal case proceeded in the background. But Paul Danielsen had no such privilege, so he participated in the discovery process and gave a deposition in the case.
According to the plaintiffs’ allegations, which Paul Danielsen’s attorney said are “patently false,” the couple raced northward on A1A from the Polo Grill on Ocean Drive through Indian River Shores. Paul Danielsen arrived safely at the couple’s Orchid Island Golf & Beach Club condominium, but Jewkes-Danielsen struck the Ingrahams’ vehicle and herself suffered serious injuries in the crash.
Indian River Shores Public Safety officers and the Florida Highway Patrol built a case against Jewkes-Danielsen, based upon blood drawn at HCA Florida Lawnwood Medical Center, on-board computer readings from her Mercedes, a traffic homicide investigation and DNA evidence in the defendant’s car.
Witnesses also came forward who had observed Jewkes-Danielsen driving recklessly at a high rate of speed, using the center turn lane to pass other northbound vehicles.
The surprise development, however, occurred at an emergency hearing Monday afternoon before Circuit Court Judge Cynthia Cox in the civil case.
The attorney representing the Ingraham family, Dane Ulliane, had asked Judge Cox to take action against Paul Danielsen for fraud of the court for not disclosing that the couple had been drinking alcoholic beverages at the oceanfront Citrus Grillhouse prior to walking across the street to Polo Grill to meet friends for dinner.
Testifying in court Monday were Kristi Gilmore, the bartender who served the Danielsens on May 10, 2022 at Citrus Grillhouse, and Paul Danielsen.
In what he described as his several months long “fog” of caring for his injured wife, taking care of household matters, walking the dog every day and running errands, Paul Danielsen said he had forgotten that he and his wife had gone to Citrus Grillhouse for drinks and appetizers by the time he gave his deposition in the civil case.
Gilmore said she remembered serving the Danielsens that evening, and that Paul Danielsen had called her on her mobile phone – many of her regular bar customers have her phone number – to obtain a copy of his Visa credit card receipt. Gilmore said she referred the request to her manager. Gilmore confirmed what the receipt showed, that she had served the couple a double-shot martini (4 ounces of alcohol) and two glasses of white wine the fateful night.
Danielsen confirmed Monday that he had obtained a copy of the receipt from Citrus Grillhouse and that he had given it to criminal defense attorney Andrew Metcalf as part of his wife’s criminal case. Ullian pointed out that in Paul Danielsen’s affidavit given in the civil case, when asked if the couple had been to any other establishments the day of the crash, Danielsen said they had not.
Then on April 25 of this year, as the final preparations for the May 19 civil trial were being made, Danielsen hand wrote an errata or correction to his original affidavit about having imbibed at another local establishment, but still did not disclose the name of Citrus Grillhouse in that document.
Ullian finally obtained a non-detail Visa bill which showed a transaction at Citrus Grillhouse.
Upon obtaining the bar receipt, Ullian asked Cox for Monday’s emergency hearing to explore the circumstances behind the failure to disclose evidence of alcohol consumption the evening of the fatal crash.
It’s still unclear whether or how Paul Danielsen might be called to account for not disclosing the trip to Citrus Grillhouse, a disclosure which would have prompted a hunt for records of the credit card transaction during the case’s discovery period.
“The sanctions I can enter vary. It could be incarceration. It could be striking pleadings. It could be a fine. It could be various,” Cox said.
Danielsen’s legal counsel said at most, the issues raised by Ullian should be used to try to impeach Danielsen’s credibility when he testifies during the upcoming jury trial. He argued against any sort of sanctions.
Cox took the matter under consideration and said she would rule soon whether or not there is cause to move forward with some sort of action – potentially criminal action – against Paul Danielsen.
Photos by Joshua Kodis
