Melrose Place Star Amy Locane Going BACK To Prison Because Judge Thought Previous Sentence For DUI Killing Was Too Lenient

Amy Locane, who previously served time behind bars for her part in a fatal drunk driving incident in 2010, is headed back to the big house after a judge agreed her initial sentence was not harsh enough!

Superior Court Judge Angela Borkowski shared the Melrose Place alum still does not take full responsibility for her actions, which left 60-year-old Helene Seeman dead and her husband Fred Seeman severely injured, sentencing her to another eight years in state prison. New Jersey state law requires her to serve more than six years before being eligible for parole.

Locane’s case has now featured four sentencings in front of three judges, in addition to numerous appeals in the time it has bounced throughout the Garden State’s court system. She made a brief apology statement to the Seeman family on Thursday before being placed in handcuffs and taken into custody.

According to witnesses at the time of the incident, Locane consumed several drinks on the evening she got behind the wheel, slamming into the Seemans’ car as it turned into their driveway. She revealed she had bumped into another driver at a traffic light minutes earlier, which left her distracted. Her blood-alcohol level was likely three times what’s legally allowed, a state expert testified, and she was going nearly 20 miles over the speed limit.

The 48-year-old was previously convicted on several counts, including vehicular manslaughter, and initially faced a sentence ranging from five to 10 years for the most serious count. A trial judge sentenced her to three years in 2013, despite the state initially seeking seven years. An appeals court later ruled he misapplied the law, but at a re-sentencing, the same judge declined to give her additional time.

In 2019, she was sentenced for five years by a different judge, though an appeals court ruled he didn’t follow guidelines and ordered another sentencing.

Sounds like a LOT of legal back and forth!

Amy’s attorney, James Wronko, unsuccessfully argued at the time that her re-sentencing violated double jeopardy protections since she had already served her initial sentence and necessary parole term.

Fred, who nearly died due to the injuries from the crash, attended the Somerville-based proceeding on Thursday and stated that the mother of two’s shifting of blame “shows contempt for this court and the jury that rendered the verdict.”

Borkowski felt similarly, stating that her past abuse of alcohol puts her at risk to offend again:

“You made a conscious decision to drink that day and continued to drink, recognizing at the onset that you needed a ride but didn’t obtain one. If you hadn’t gotten behind the wheel of your vehicle on this night, the incident never would have happened.”

Amy’s attorney criticized the judge for not taking their client’s sobriety and work counseling others into account, deeming the sentence “outrageous. She has always taken full responsibility.” Wronko added that he is waiting to see if the state Supreme Court decides to hear out their double jeopardy appeal.

The actress, who appeared in 13 episodes of the Beverly Hills, 90210 spinoff, will have 45 days to appeal Thursday’s decision.

[Image via Nikki Nelson/WENN.]