Driver sentenced after accident under the influence of alcohol in which three teenagers died

ST. CHARLES COUNTY, Missouri — A Lincoln County, Missouri woman will appear in St. Charles County District Court Monday afternoon to be sentenced for a fatal 2023 car crash that left three teenagers dead and injured herself and another person.

The accident occurred on February 5, 2023 at approximately 3:40 a.m. on South Chantilly Road, south of Ethington Road. The Missouri State Highway Patrol said a 2008 Ford Focus was traveling north when it briefly became airborne, left the road, struck a tree and rolled over.

The driver, Hailey G. Zenk, had to be freed from the car. She and another passenger had to be flown by helicopter to a hospital in St. Louis with serious injuries.

The other three passengers in the car, William Flickinger, 18, Emily McNees, 17, and Kaeden Tyler, 15, were pronounced dead at the scene.

Witness statements indicated that Zenk and the other occupants of the vehicle had smoked marijuana before the accident.

Data from the Ford Focus showed the vehicle was traveling approximately 81 miles per hour just four seconds before the airbag deployed. The speed limit on South Chantilly Road is 35 miles per hour. Zenk’s blood and urine tests were positive for benzodiazepines and cannabis.

In October 2023, Zenk’s attorneys requested a change of venue from Lincoln County to St. Charles County. Zenk entered an Alford plea on April 15, 2024, pleading guilty to driving under the influence of alcohol (death of two or more persons), driving under the influence of alcohol (serious bodily harm), and three counts of first-degree negligent homicide.

An Alford plea is sometimes called a “pleasure of the best interests.” It is where the defendant pleads guilty without admitting guilt in the eyes of the court, but still accepts the court’s verdict.

Zenk faces up to seven years in prison for drunk driving (aggravated assault), five to 15 years for fatal drunk driving, and three to 10 years for manslaughter, plus a $10,000 fine for each count.