Court upholds prison sentence for 'Melrose Place' actress Amy Locane in fatal DWI crash

A state appellate court has upheld the eight-year prison sentence for actress Amy Locane, who was convicted of vehicular homicide in a drunken-driving crash in Montgomery in 2010.

On Sept. 17, 2020, Locane was sentenced by Superior Court Judge Angela Borkowski to eight years in prison with a minimum mandatory sentence of six years, 9 months and 22 days. However, she received credit for the two years and four months she initially served from Feb. 14, 2013 to June 12, 2015.

Her new eligible for parole date is Dec. 20, 2024, one day after her 53rd birthday.

James Wronko, Locane's attorney, said that he "just can’t comprehend how after five years later they can reincarcerate a person who already served three years."

In its ruling, the court ruled that "a reasonable person would more likely conclude that (Locane) received a just and fair sentence, one which fit the crime."

Fred Seeman, a New York attorney, was driving with his wife around 9 p.m. June 27, 2010 and turning into the driveway of their Montgomery weekend home when Locane, who was a featured actress on the television show, "Melrose Place," struck their vehicle while going about 20 mph over the 35-mph speed limit. Helene Seeman died in the crash and her husband suffered serious injuries.

Locane's blood alcohol content was 0.23%, almost three times over the .08 legal limit.

In sentencing Locane, Borkowski said Locane was at several parties earlier that day drinking wine and believed her then-husband was going to drive her home. But when her husband drove home with their children without her, Locane decided to drive drunk, the judge said.

The appellate court agreed with Borkowski that the sentence was warranted.

"Here (Locane) chose to get behind the wheel with a BAC level nearly three times the legal limit," the appellate court wrote. "As the judge found, her extreme intoxication practically ensured she would harm another. She could have asked for a ride, called or a cab or simply stayed at her friends' house. But, as she told police, she did not care because her children were not with her."

It was the fourth sentencing for Locane, the former actress who starred with Johnny Depp in “Cry-Baby” and came after an appellate court agreed with the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office that retired Judge Robert Reed's original sentence should be modified.

Locane previously had been sentenced to three years in state prison on charges of vehicular homicide and assault by auto.

The Somerset County Prosecutor's Office appealed the sentence. An appellate court decision called Locane's sentencing "excessively lenient" and ordered that she return to Superior Court for a new sentencing.

But after Reed did not follow the appellate court decision in the second sentencing, the prosecutor’s office again successfully appealed.

Judge Kevin Shanahan then sentenced Locane for a third time in February 2019 to five years in state prison. That sentence was again successfully appealed by the prosecutor's office.

In its 24-page decision on Tuesday, the appellate court ruled Borkowski "imposed a sentence befitting the crime, not just the defendant (Locane)."

During the sentencing hearing, Locane presented letters attesting to her years of sobriety. She also argued that going back to prison would harm her two children both physically and emotionally. Locane also contended that her own health would suffer because she had developed microscopic colitis.

But Borkowski rejected those arguments, saying that Locane had yet to accept full responsibility for the crash.

"No one else is to blame for what happened that night to the (victims) but you," the judge said. "Until you recognize that you alone by your actions, beginning with the decision to drive after drinking, are responsible, you are at risk to commit another offense."

The judge also noted that Locane's two children may suffer less than other children with incarcerated parents because they have a strong support system, including relatives and professionals.

Borkowski also rejected the argument that Locane's volunteer work since her trial should mitigate the sentence. Locane also argued that the $1.94 million insurance settlement to Fred Seeman should be a factor.

The appellate court agreed with the judge.

"No amount of money can compensate a family for the loss of a loved one," the appellate panel wrote. "Nor can community service offset the taking of a life, no matter how praiseworthy that service can be."

The appellate court also rejected Locane's argument that Borkowski should have recused herself because Wronko's law firm had represented her niece in a municipal matter.

"Recusal was unwarranted under the relevant guidelines," the appellate court wrote.

Email: mdeak@mycentraljersey.com

Mike Deak is a reporter for mycentraljersey.com. To get unlimited access to his articles on Somerset and Hunterdon counties, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Amy Locane of 'Melrose Place' fatal DWI crash sentence upheld