Family of Girl Killed in Crash Copes with Loss

The family of a girl killed in a car crash struggled to cope with the losing both her and her mother, who was imprisoned on suspicion of causing the fatal crash.

“They’re holding up as much as can be expected,” said Aaron Honeycutt, the girl’s father, about her siblings.

Nine-year-old Chloe Honeycutt was killed when her mother, Karen Honeycutt, crashed the family jeep into a tree and a light pole on Jan. 27.

The impact threw Chloe and her half-brother, Charles “Tre” Williams Jr., 17, from the jeep. Chloe died on the street.

Tre had several surgeries, including getting a bolt put in his neck, and he is recovering at his father’s home, said Aaron Honeycutt, Chloe’s father and Tre’s step-father.

Chloe’s brother, Zachery "Myles" Honeycutt, 8, was also in the jeep. He was the only child wearing a seatbelt. He escaped with only minor injuries, according to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.

He healed physically, but not emotionally, his father said. “With Myles, I can tell he’s really missing her,” he said. “He used to be happy-go-lucky, pulling pranks all the time.”

Aaron Honeycutt Jr., 16, is taking it the hardest, his father said. “He’s been having nightmares.” Aaron Jr. stumbled onto the scene of the crash while walking home from Great Oak High School.

Karen Honeycutt and the three children went to pick up Aaron from school that day, but failed to find him. They were driving home when the mother crashed the car, Aaron Honeycutt said.

Investigators found the mother had a BAC higher than .08 percent and arrested her on suspicion of drunken driving, vehicular manslaughter and murder. She pleaded not guilty and was held on $1 million bail.

The mother was in a bad mental state because of the recent loss of her job, Aaron Honeycutt said. “That started the whole depression,” he said. “She didn’t come out of the room, she wasn’t eating, wasn’t drinking, only sleeping and crying all day.”

In October, she was laid off from her job as a manager at a San Diego bank.

Aaron Honeycutt was surprised investigators found alcohol in her blood, because she had not been drinking, he said. “That’s the thing that really shocked me the most. She hadn’t been drinking at all. I can’t figure out why she would have woken up that morning and decided to drink.”

In fact, other than her getting fired, things had been going well, he said. The couple divorced in 2005, but then they made amends and moved to Temecula together. “We found our way back together. We wanted to find a fresh start. Everything had been going so well,” Aaron Honeycutt said.

Losing Chloe was a loss beyond words, her father said. “I got the boys and everything, but she was my heart. I’m taking it pretty well because I don’t want the boys to see me fall apart. It’s tearing me apart every time I think about it.”

 Friends of the family set up a bank account to help with funeral expenses. To contribute, visit any Citibank location or send them to Citibank, 26480 Ynez Rd., Temecula, CA 92591. The account number is 40019688494. For more information, call the bank at 951-296-3599.