Grieving OK family: Drunk driving is not worth a life this holiday weekend

OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — The family of a UCO student killed by a drunk driver nearly five years ago says getting behind the wheel after you've had anything to drink this holiday weekend shouldn't even be on the table.

In October of 2020, 19-year-old Marissa Murrow, a University of Central Oklahoma sophomore, was driving a 2014 Ford Focus southbound on the Kilpatrick when she was hit head-on by Malcolm Penney, who was traveling the wrong direction. Penney was sentenced to life in prison in 2022 for the deadly crash.

Troopers said Penney initially ran from the scene, but was caught shortly after. They also said they could smell alcohol on his breath.

"We can't get over the grief that we feel because we love Marissa too much," said Jeff Murrow, Marissa's dad, during an interview with News 4 Thursday. "The love doesn't go away, so the grief doesn't go away."

Murrow and his wife Kristy, have since created a non-profit that works with families and state legislators to address concerns about impaired drivers on the roads called Victims of Impaired Drivers (VOID). Marissa's story has also inspired tougher laws in Oklahoma to deter drunk driving. Murrow told News 4 the holiday season is when that message needs to be amplified the most, with roadways expected to be busy.

"When you make the wrong choice, it could cost you everything," said Murrow. "It could cost you your life, or it could cost you the life of someone that you love very dearly in your family, if you're lucky. The best case scenario is it might cost you a job, or it might cost you your car or your reputation."

Murrow said he knows there are some people who won't heed his words, who might think they've gotten behind the wheel of a car while drinking and didn't have any problems before. He said it's the wrong mentality for any driver to have.

"I know there are some who will probably continue to make that mistake, and one day it will catch up to them," said Murrow. "I just encourage everyone to make a great decision this holiday weekend."

It's the same advice the Oklahoma Highway Patrol [OHP] is hoping drivers will consider, with enforcement over the holiday weekend expected to be busy.

"We hope they make smart, reasonable, responsible decisions," said Lieutenant Mark Southall, OHP Public Information Officer. "What people don't see when they read these headlines of a fatality crash is they don't see the knock that has to happen at the door when a trooper has to go tell someone's loved one that they're not coming home that night, They're not dealing with the carnage at the scene that we deal with every single day. So our mission, our goal is to get people to drive safer so we have less deaths on the highways of Oklahoma and we have less broken families."