Jacksonville, FL — She previously pleaded not guilty, but a Nassau County woman accused of a fatal DUI crash back in 2016, has now changed her plea.
Court documents we've obtained show Tonya Capallia-Eason has now pleaded guilty to all five counts she was facing, which included 3 counts of DUI resulting in serious bodily injury and 2 counts of DUI causing death.
In 2016, Capallia-Eason's Ford Expedition lost control and crashed into a utility pole on Lonnie Crews Road approaching Lina Road, after leaving a children's Halloween party.
Two of her sons-- 8-year-old Nehemiah Capallia-Bird and 9-year-old Nicholai Capallia-- were killed. The crash also injured 6 other children, including her daughter, who survived and was eventually released into the custody of Capallia-Eason's ex-husband.
Investigators say her blood-alcohol level was nearly twice the legal limit at the time of the crash with a toxicology report showing the level at .148. Our partner Action News Jax, say other court documents show she initially told first responders that she wasn’t the driver, but instead a passenger.
With this plea, Capallia-Eason faces a maximum of 30 years, with a minimum sentence of 10 years.