Trial for mother accused of killing daughter while driving drunk

MILWAUKEE -- The woman accused of killing her daughter while driving drunk pleaded not guilty in court Thursday. Brandy Allen is facing multiple charges, including homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle. Prosecutors say Allen was drunk when she crashed into a parked semi trailer, killing one of her daughters and critically injuring the other.

Thursday, a judge ruled there is enough evidence to move forward with a trial, but agreed to reduce Allen's bail. If Allen is released, she'll only be allowed to leave home for court hearings and to visit her other daughter, who remains hospitalized.

According to the criminal complaint in this case, Allen was driving her two daughters home around 2:00 a.m. Christmas night, when she took her eyes off the road to address her five-year-old daughter Jahanyuh in the backseat. Then, Allen's 10-year-old daughter Brianna yelled "mommy" right before their car ran into the parked semi.

After police arrived on the scene, they ran a record check of Allen with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, and learned Allen's driver's license was suspended. Officials also performed a sobriety test on Allen. The complaint says the tests did show evidence that Allen may be impaired. She was transported to the State of Wisconsin Crime Laboratory for a blood draw, which showed her BAC was .107.

While Brianna was transported to the Medical Examiner's Office, Jahanyuh was transported to Children's Hospital of Wisconsin. The criminal complaint says officers were notified that the five-year-old suffered a fractured skull and bleeding on her brain.