More than five years after killing another driver in a head-on collision, Karen Rena Rooks (49) was found guilty of manslaughter.
After no more than 20 minutes of deliberation on May 15, 2024, the jury found Rooks guilty of killing Rebecca Harlow on December 19, 2018.
The next morning, the jury decided Rooks should be sentenced to prison for seven years despite having no prior criminal history.
Trial was held in Judge Denise Fortenberry’s 130th District Court. Prosecutors were Steven Reis and Lindsay Deshotels. Rooks was represented by appointed counsel, John Anderson.
According to Deshotels, there was little in dispute about how, when, and where Harlow was killed.
The issue, said Deshotels, was whether Rooks’ conduct was reckless.
Reis recapped the testimony of former DPS Trooper Louis Fojtik and witness Jessica Cain.
“The defendant attempted to pass Ms. Cain on a dark, pre-dawn morning in dense fog, driving 70 miles per hour on a wet road,” said Reis.
According to Rooks’ own statement, she didn’t see the oncoming car driven by Harlow until the collision was imminent.
Cain described to the jury that the car which was attempting to pass her collided with an oncoming car just as the passing car entered Cain’s peripheral vision.
There were no skid marks nor other indication of braking according to Fojtik and DPS Trooper Brian Robbins who later examined the crash scene.
After the guilty verdict, Harlow’s family members emphasized the kindhearted nature of the deceased Bay City High School teacher.
Anderson offered evidence that, due to complications resulting from cancer as well as injuries sustained in the collision, Rooks is in hospice care.
The wheel-chair bound Rooks received the verdict from Fortenberry without comment and then sat expressionless as Harlow’s family members read victim impact statements after sentencing.
Harlow’s daughter Summer Harlow told the jury, “I used to be a loving, forgiving, optimistic person, and am now filled with so much anger and hatred that it scares me.”
“My mom’s story didn’t get to end on her own terms,” said Summer, “… not only am I grieving her,
“I’m grieving the person I used to be before she was taken from us.”
The jury rejected the defensive argument that the collision was the result of “ordinary” driving actions.
The jury also determined that, despite defendant’s health considerations, prison was an appropriate punishment for causing Harlow’s death.
