An appellate court has ruled that prosecutors cannot use cell phone records in the case of a Howell woman charged in a crash that killed a 3-year-old girl in Monmouth County.
The decision, handed down Tuesday by the New Jersey Appellate Division, found that the search warrant investigators used to obtain four years of phone data from defendant Samantha Bonora was overly broad and violated constitutional protections against unreasonable searches and seizures.
Bonora, 32, was indicted last year on multiple charges, including first-degree aggravated manslaughter, aggravated assault, and assault by auto. Prosecutors say she was driving a Dodge Ram pickup truck that attempted to pass another vehicle before striking a Jeep Grand Cherokee head-on along Route 34 in Colts Neck on Jan. 13, 2024.
The crash killed 3-year-old Kylie Williams and injured her mother and 2-year-old brother, according to the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office.
In addition to the indictment, Bonora received summonses for driving while intoxicated, speeding, improper passing, failure to maintain lane, and driving with an expired license.
Investigators initially secured a warrant to search Bonora’s phone records dating from Jan. 1, 2020, through the day of the crash. An officer argued the information could shed light on Bonora’s alleged substance abuse history and drug activity.
Her attorney challenged the warrant, and the appellate panel agreed, ruling the search was too expansive. The exclusion of the phone records could lead to changes in the charges Bonora faces. Her lawyer has argued that the case should be downgraded from aggravated manslaughter to second-degree vehicular homicide.
Despite the ruling, prosecutors still have several pieces of evidence available if the case proceeds to trial. A toxicology report taken about three hours after the crash showed methadone, morphine, fentanyl, xylazine, and lamotrigine in Bonora’s system.
Investigators also executed a separate warrant 10 days after the crash to search her vehicle. Items recovered included a prescribed bottle of methadone and two GPS units, which remain admissible.
Court records show Bonora has a history of substance abuse and prior convictions. She was convicted of driving while intoxicated in 2010 and again in 2015, when she also refused a breathalyzer test. She was later arrested in 2020 and 2022 for possession of controlled dangerous substances.
The case is ongoing in Monmouth County Superior Court.