Woman Killed Motorcyclist in DUI Crash Before Picking Child Up From School
A South Carolina woman was sentenced to more than a decade behind bars after she killed a motorcyclist while driving under the influence as she was on her way to pick her daughter up from school.
The 15th Circuit Solicitor's Office announced in a press release via Facebook that Kayla Tisdale pleaded guilty to one count of felony DUI resulting in death on Tuesday, June 9, after she killed Steven Marshall in an April 2025 crash.
After she entered her plea, Circuit Court Judge Michael Nettles immediately sentenced Tisdale, 38, to serve 14 years in state prison.
"Tisdale must serve at least 85 percent of her sentence before she is eligible for supervised release," the press release stated. "Tisdale will have one strike under South Carolina's three-strike law, which makes her eligible to be sentenced to life without parole if she is convicted of two other violent offenses."
While Tisdale received her sentence, her legal troubles are still far from over.
She previously pleaded guilty in federal court in April to one count of misprision of a felony for keeping $750,000 in cash and gold bullion as part of a money-laundering scheme that was linked to drug trafficking, per the press release.
Tisdale has not yet been sentenced for the federal charge.
The fatal collision took place on the afternoon of April 4, 2025, along Sea Mountain Highway in Little River.
Tislade failed to yield to motorcyclist Marshall, 62, who she ultimately collided with. Law enforcement said that she did not stay back to help and instead fled the scene to pick her daughter up from elementary school. Tisdale was arrested later that day when she returned home.
Tisdale was behind the wheel of a 2011 Cadillac SUV at the time of the incident, while Marshall was driving a 2003 Honda scooter.
Investigators learned that her blood alcohol content was 0.19 when she crashed into Marshall, which is nearly three times the legal limit of 0.08.
While speaking to troopers, Tisdale said she had been drinking since 8:30 a.m. that day due to the stress she was experiencing with the federal investigation, per the press release. She also claimed she did not remember buying her last drink of the day from a Circle K gas station. However, the purchase was captured via surveillance footage.
Police were able to link Tisdale to the crash after witnesses identified her as the driver by taking photos of her license plate.
Marshall previously spent 20 years working with law enforcement in Pennsylvania before he retired to Myrtle Beach, according to the solicitor's office. Authorities said that he died "almost instantly" in the crash.
"This case serves as a stark reminder of the perils that stem from drinking and driving," lead prosecutor Brandon Lanier said in a statement. "Our community lost a career public servant, who spent the better part of 20 years attempting to save lives, simply because Ms. Tisdale chose to become grossly impaired before 9:00 a.m. that day."
He then said there were "no winners" in the tragedy.
"Mr. Marshall's family will never be made whole, and Ms. Tisdale's young daughter will grow up without her mother at a pivotal point in her life," Lanier stated. "We are grateful to the witnesses who assisted the Highway Patrol in locating Ms. Tisdale, and we hope that this lengthy prison sentence will deter those who think about drinking and driving from ever doing so in the future."
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This story was originally published June 11, 2026 at 11:09 AM.