Sound Beach Woman Convicted of Manslaughter in Baby's Death

Jennifer Jorgensen was convicted of second-degree manslaughter Monday and was acquitted of four other charges stemming from a 2008 crash, according to Suffolk County District Attorney Tom Spota's office.

The Sound Beach woman was acquitted of two counts of second-degree manslaughter, one count of operating a motor vehicle while under the combined influence of drugs or alcohol and one count of aggravated vehicular homicide.

She was driving westbound on Whiskey Road in Ridge on May 30, 2008 when her Nissan Sentra collided with a 1999 Ford Taurus headed eastbound driven by Robert Kelly, 75, who died at the scene. His wife, Mary Kelly, 70, died of her injuries three weeks later. A laboratory analysis of Jorgenson’s blood detected a blood alcohol level of .06 and the presence of anti-anxiety medication Clonazepam. She was acquitted of the three charges related to the deaths of Robert and Mary Kelly.

Jorgensen, 32, of Sound Beach, was eight months pregnant when the crash occurred and gave birth by emergency C-section after the collision. The infant, Ashley Jorgensen-Kaiser, died five days later from injuries caused by the crash, resulting in the manslaughter conviction.

Judge William Condon ordered the defendant held on $100,000 cash bail or $200,000 bond. She faces five to 15 years in prison when she is sentenced next month.

This was the . Last March, a  jury was unable to reach a verdict after six days after issues over the blood test and a mistrial was declared.

According to a report in the Village Beacon Record, Defense attorney Martin Lorenzotti said he plans to appeal the conviction within 30 days partly because of inconsistency in the verdicts.