Vigil held for siblings killed in Monroe Co. boat club crash

Berlin Township — Just six days after a car plowed into a boat club in Monroe County, killing two children and injuring 13 others attending a birthday party in the club, a vigil was held to bring the community together and encourage healing.

Dozens huddled Friday evening in the parking lot outside the Swan Boat Club on Brancheau Street. As the crowd held candles, some speakers prayed and others read scriptures, standing on a makeshift stage attached to a pick-up truck. The vigil ended with attendees singing "Amazing Grace." 

The club is located about 200 yards from the home of a woman accused of driving under the influence and plowing her vehicle in the club's wall as the party was happening.

Two siblings — Alanah Phillips, 8, and Zayn Phillips, 4, of Flat Rock — were killed in the crash. At least 13 others were injured, including the Phillipses' older brother, J.P., and their mother, Mariah Dodds.

"It's hard to really put in perspective how to feel," said Michael Hatfield, the siblings' uncle. "Right now, it's an empty feeling."

Hatfield was one of several family members who attended the vigil, including Kathy Phillips, the siblings' grandmother, and Nicholas Phillips, another uncle.

Several supporters braved the chilling temperatures, with tear-stained faces, holding candles and embracing one another.

Hatfield said he and his relatives were "thinking we were celebrating life" on April 20, the day of the crash, and "we're celebrating a different kind of life."

Prosecutors have charged Marshella Chidester, 66, the boat club's former commodore, with two counts of second-degree murder, two counts of operating under the influence of alcohol causing death and four counts of operating under the influence of alcohol causing serious injury. She was released on a $1.5 million bond on Thursday and is prohibited from driving or drinking while out on bond.

Hatfield said he and his five siblings felt that Chidester, who lives just a tenth of a mile from the boat club, should not be at home "enjoying her freedom, while we're about to start planning funerals," he said, adding that his hope is that justice is served for his niece and nephew.

Nicholas Phillips, Alanah and Zayn's uncle, encouraged the community to "stand strong" and "come together to show what this woman has done is not right."

"One glass of wine does not do that to you," Phillips said with tears in his eyes. "... The things this (incident) is putting our family through — most of us can't sleep at night, most of us still haven't eaten. How is that fair?" Phillips said.

Speaking at the vigil, state Rep. Jamie Thompson shared her own experience with tragedy, the loss of her 24-year-old daughter who was killed in a motorcycle accident three years ago.

"I got the knock on the door at 7 a.m. that she was gone," Thompson said. "... Everyone's loss is different, but I feel that the pain I wish could tell you that I don't know what it feels like."

Thompson urged those grieving to release their hate toward those responsible for their loved one's loss.

"The hate that you feel will suffocate you ... You have to release that pain and give it to God, and you, as a community, do not forget this family," Thompson said. 

Aside from the vigil, the boat club also plans to hold a spaghetti fundraiser on May 19 for the victims of the crash, along with first responders.

The boat club, meanwhile, remains closed.

jaimery@detroitnews.com