A car crash in Jefferson County that ended in tragedy has inspired a new law being adopted across the country.
The legislation, known as Bentley and Mason’s Law, would require drunk drivers convicted of killing a parent to pay child support to the surviving children.
The initiative was spearheaded by Cecilia Williams, 56, who lives in Bonne Terre with her husband and her two grandsons, Bentley, 9 and Mason, 7.
The law is named after her grandsons, whose parents, Lacey Newton and Cordell Williams, and 4-month-old brother, Cordell Williams II, were killed in 2021 by a drunk driver in Byrnes Mill.
Cecilia Williams said she was proud to see the bill passed in her home state, after several attempts to get the bill made into a law.
“It’s about time, we have fought hard for four years in Missouri and to see it get done this year is amazing,” she said.”They’ve done something right for the kids of Missouri.”
State Sen. Mike Henderson, R-Desloge, sponsored the bill.
Henderson said he was very happy for Cecilia Williams and her family to see it get passed.
“There’s never been opposition, it’s just like a lot of things in Jefferson City, it may not get that final vote on that final day. That’s really the only thing that kept (the bill from getting passed),” he said. “What happens many times is a lot of (drunk drivers) aren’t spending much time in jail or prison and the families are still left there with a tattered mess because a parent or parents are gone or a brother or sister. This bill basically says you’re going to have some accountability for the children who are left.”
The House passed the bill on May 15 with a 127-2 vote. The Senate passed it 29-0 on April 20. It is awaiting a signature from Gov. Mike Kehoe.
State Rep. Cecelie Williams, R-Dittmer, who was the House handler for Bentley and Mason’s Law and is not related to Cecelia Williams, said she wanted to make the bill a priority during this year’s legislative session.
“I actually filed my bill; House Bill 1910, and I made it a point that I was going to make sure this got passed,” she said. “But then Senator Henderson also filed it in the Senate, and he was moving his along.”
Cecelie Williams said she began searching for other legislation where she could attach the language of Bentley and Mason’s Law.
“I actually found three different bills it could be added to and two of them actually got passed. So, before it passed on (May 15) as Senate Bill 1135, it had already been passed twice,” she said. “But we wanted to honor the family and give them that ceremonial day where we present the bill, speak about it, and they’re able to see it truly agreed and finally passed.”
Cecelie Williams said the law will go into effect Aug. 28 because there was no emergency clause enacted.
She also said it will make Missouri roads safer.
“Missouri is within the top 10 states in the United States with drunk driving incidents and fatalities. There are a lot of states that have very strict drunk driving laws, and Missouri just doesn’t. Being able to strengthen those (laws) is going to be huge.”
On April 13, 2021, Newton, her fiance Cordell Williams and their 4-month-old infant, Cordell Williams II, were killed while traveling along Hwy. 30 in Byrnes Mill.
According to reports following the crash, Newton was driving a 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix east on Hwy. 30 west of Upper Byrnes Mill Road, and David Thurby, of Fenton was driving a 2016 Chevrolet Cruze behind her, failed to keep proper lookout and struck the Grand Prix from behind. Both cars ran off the right side of the road and struck several trees, and the Grand Prix became engulfed in flames. All three in the car were pronounced dead at the scene.
In January 2023, Thurby was found guilty of three counts of second-degree involuntary manslaughter and was sentenced to eight years in prison.
After the incident, Thurby was arrested and told a Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper that before the crash, he had seven shots of Crown and water, and a preliminary breath test showed Thurby’s blood-alcohol content was .192 percent, more than twice the legal limit, according to the probable-cause statement in the case. In Missouri, .08 percent is the legal limit.
Following the deaths of her son, daughter-in-law and grandson, Cecilia Williams assumed custody for her two grandsons. She said she was not prepared to raise children again.
“We all suffer so much from this tragedy and families suffer from a tragedy like this, it’s completely preventable. And then we have to figure out how are we going to raise children again?” she said. “It gets hard for families; a lot of families can’t afford it. That’s when I came up with Bentley’s Law to help families and to deter people from going out and driving impaired.”
Sgt. Cody Umfress and Capt. Steve Schaffer of the Byrnes Mill Police Department were among the first responders the night of the crash.
“That was one of the biggest and worst accidents I’ve ever seen,” Schaffer said.
Umfress said the scene was “heartbreaking.”
“You’re seeing images, and hearing and smelling things that no human should ever have to do,” he said.
It was this shared experience that led Schaffer and Umfress to be invited to the Missouri State Capitol as guests of Rep. Williams.
Schaffer said he felt overwhelmed with emotion while in Jefferson City.
“It’s very emotional to see how it not only affected us, but how it’s affected the families and other families,” he said. “Even when we go to other MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) events just talking about it and seeing pictures and remembering what we felt that day and the aftermath.”
Umfress said it was an honor to be at the Capitol that day.
“To be there for the beginning of the tragedy that brought forth this idea of this bill and to have that full circle moment for us to be able to stand there and see it finally get passed,” he said.
Schaffer said the police department has remained close with Cecilia Williams’ family in the five years since the accident.
“We’ve gone to birthday parties; we’ve helped organize the memorial down there (at the crash site).”
Umfress also said he has been a volunteer with MADD for five years and regularly speaks at victims’ impact panels.
“I share my story from the law enforcement standpoint of responding to the crash in hopes to lower that recidivism rate of individuals (convicted of DWI).”
Variations of Bentley and Mason’s law have passed in multiple states and territories, including Tennessee, Kentucky, Maine, Utah, Montana, Guam, the Cayman Islands and the U.S. Virgin Islands. It is also being considered in several countries such as Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom.
Cecilia Williams said on May 27 she has been in touch with a member of Congress who wants to introduce the legislation nationwide.
Tabitha Perkins, executive director for MADD Missouri, said the law provides more accountability for offenders and supports the organization’s mission to end impaired driving.
“This is another deterrent that MADD hopes remind people to not drink and get behind the wheel of a vehicle,” she said. “For family members, this is an additional resource because after the funeral and trial is over, the children often lose a large amount of support and financial assistance.”