A Chatham woman who pleaded guilty to killing an elderly Sarnia couple in a head-on crash will spend the next five years behind bars. Sarah Suitor, 41, pleaded guilty to two counts of drug-impaired driving causing death in April and was sentenced to five years in prison in a Chatham courtroom Thursday afternoon after a joint submission by the prosecution and defense . The suitor is also banned from driving for five years after her conviction and will have to attend drug and alcohol counseling and mental health services while in prison. The Claimant withdrew the remaining charges of dangerous driving causing death and possession of fentanyl. The judge took into account that he had a limited criminal record spanning 10 years and spared the court and the elderly family an emotional trial. The suitor will not have the benefit of time already served. The court heard that she had struggled with substance abuse since the death of her grandfather and that her mother died when she was 14. Suitor also did not know her biological father and had few relationships growing up, according to her attorney Frank Retar. Victim impact statements were not read aloud in court. Retar hopes better days are ahead of her if she gets the help she needs for her addiction. The Suitor has a 22-year-old daughter and is engaged. Assistant Crown James Boonstra said impaired driving is a phenomenon that happens all too often and needs to stop. The crash happened on Highway 40 near Wallaceburg 28 months ago. Rose Hills, 87, and her husband William Hills, 88, both of Sarnia, died from their injuries. Mrs.Hills died in hospital from her injuries, while her husband was pronounced dead at the scene. The suitor suffered minor injuries and was treated and released from the hospital.
