A mother from Kansas has been convicted of involuntary manslaughter following a tragic car crash in 2022 that resulted in the deaths of three Girl Scouts, one of whom was her daughter. During phone calls from jail, she shifted blame, questioned the integrity of the trial, and expressed hope that she might avoid serving time.

Amber Peery, 35, was found guilty in August on three counts of involuntary manslaughter, alongside counts of aggravated battery and traffic offenses. The incident occurred on the Kansas Turnpike when Peery made an illegal U-turn, leading to a collision with a semi-truck.

In a series of phone calls made shortly after her conviction, Peery claimed that there was wrongdoing in the judicial process. “It’s incredibly unfair,” she stated, suggesting that the jurors might have been influenced. “I feel like the (expletive) jurors were paid off or something,” she added.

During a call in September, Peery expressed her belief that she would be offered probation. “This feels like a vacation at a two-star hotel, and it’s almost over,” she said, while seeming to laugh.

The recorded calls were played at her first sentencing hearing on Friday.

The hearing took place just two days after the South Carolina parole board denied parole for Susan Smith, a mother infamous for killing her children. Smith was convicted in 1995 for drowning her two young sons, a case that shocked many due to the nature of the crime.

On the day of the incident, Peery was driving five girls in her van on I-335 in Topeka, heading to a Girl Scouts activity on October 8, 2022. Two children sustained injuries but thankfully survived, including Peery’s younger daughter.

Peery’s defense team has requested that Shawnee County District Judge Jessica Heinen impose a “non-prison sanction,” arguing that the mother’s mental health challenges are more suited for treatment outside of prison. Supporters also contend that having her at home would benefit her two surviving children.

In contrast, the families of the deceased children are advocating for a stricter sentence.

Comments from Amber Peery during jail calls

During one phone call, Peery expressed regret over not accepting a plea deal, implying that she turned down a proposal from prosecutors to plead guilty to two counts of involuntary manslaughter in return for dismissing the third charge.

In another September call, Peery commented that the semi-truck driver should have noticed her turn signal and stopped. She mentioned she didn’t see the truck approaching. “I honestly didn’t know what (expletive) hit me,” she exclaimed. “I thought a bomb went off.”

In a different call, she suggested that her vehicle may have had mechanical problems regarding the way it handled the accident. “Everyone is blaming this (expletive) on me,” Peery lamented.

Peery also contemplated how her status as a convict would affect her bid for custody of her children. “Kansas aims to keep families together. In this case, I shouldn’t be separated from my kids,” said Peery, recognizing that her convictions would complicate matters.

“In any case, it was a genuine accident,” Peery remarked. “I hope the judge recognizes that.”

In an October video.

During a phone call, Peery expressed her frustration with the prosecutor, stating, “He’s just  you know.”

“They are really targeting me. I realize that other families are also in pain,” she remarked before being interrupted by background noise during the call.

Amber Peery: ‘I didn’t cause the deaths of three children. It was just a car accident’

Peery was seen pacing in the jail facility, criticizing the Kansas Highway Patrol for what she viewed as a poorly conducted investigation.

“Everything has been directed at me,” Peery claimed. “It’s completely unjust. It’s just not right.”

She also shifted blame to the truck driver involved in the incident, suggesting that having her turn signal on somehow absolved her from responsibility for the illegal U-turn. Additionally, she accused the other parents of lying under oath during her trial.

In a later part of the video, Peery shared that she had read an article about the incident while in jail. “I just wept,” she said. “I’m worn out. It was an accident. I didn’t take the lives of three children. I had a car accident.”

What occurred in the tragic crash involving Girl Scouts in Topeka?

Peery was transporting the children as part of a three-vehicle group traveling to a Girl Scouts event in Tonganoxie, located approximately 35 miles away. However, she and the other drivers mistakenly entered the wrong ramp to the Kansas Turnpike at the south Topeka interchange. The southbound lanes lack off-ramps or legal turn-around areas for 30 miles, prompting the trio to execute illegal U-turns through a gap in the turnpike barrier.

While the first two vehicles managed to navigate the turn safely, Peery’s vehicle was struck by a semi-truck, resulting in the deaths of three girls and injuring two other children, along with Peery herself.

Since August 15, Peery has been incarcerated in Shawnee County jail, the same day a jury found her guilty after a four-day trial. The date was particularly significant, as it would have marked the 11th birthday of one of the deceased victims, Kylie Lunn.

The crash resulted in the deaths of Kylie, aged 9; Laila El Azri, also 9; and Brooklyn Peery, who was 8 and the daughter of Peery. Additionally, Peery’s daughter, Carrington, then 5, and 9-year-old Gabriella Ponomarez suffered injuries.