A Wisconsin woman who pleaded guilty to killing her husband by dragging his body nearly 50 feet under her truck while intoxicated has been sentenced to a decade in prison.
Mary Terry, 50, admitted to homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle in the October 2023 death of her husband, Donald Britten Jr. Her blood-alcohol content at the time of the incident was 0.298 — more than four times the legal limit.
According to the criminal complaint, Terry backed her truck into Britten and then dragged him 48 feet across the pavement before running over him a second time. A neighbor told police he heard a “prolonged thud,” followed by “doo doo, doo doo,” likening the sound to a vehicle rolling over a speed bump — only the “bump” was Britten’s body.
Initially charged with first-degree intentional homicide, Terry later accepted a plea deal. During sentencing, Assistant District Attorney Alexander Seifert used the courtroom to illustrate just how far 48 feet is, comparing the pain Britten would have experienced to dragging a finger across a cheese grater with full body weight — except, in his words, “not the weight of a body — the weight of a truck.”
Graphic images of Britten’s injuries were shown in court, depicting the brutal damage inflicted by concrete. Cameras were not allowed to capture them, but Terry reportedly sobbed at the defense table and refused to look at the evidence.
Seifert acknowledged Terry’s lack of a criminal record but stressed the severity of her actions. Calling her a danger to the community, he asked the court for the maximum sentence: 15 years in prison and 10 years of extended supervision.
Terry’s defense attorneys painted a picture of long-term alcoholism worsened by family tragedies, including the death of her son in a car crash. They argued that both Terry and Britten were severely intoxicated that night, with Terry allegedly unable to remember the incident. Attorney Kelli Sue Thompson read a statement written by Terry, in which she expressed remorse, saying, “I would have never intentionally hurt Donnie,” and called him “the love of my life.”
Defense attorney Albert Moustakis claimed Terry’s level of intoxication rendered her incapable of acting with intent, urging the judge not to sentence her as though the crime had been premeditated.
Judge Michael Schiek ultimately rejected intoxication as a defense, telling Terry, “This would never have happened if you hadn’t been intoxicated. But it did, and you were.” While he declined to impose the maximum sentence, he also stated the crime didn’t warrant the minimum five years required under Wisconsin law.
Terry was sentenced to 10 years in prison and an additional 10 years of extended supervision. She must also pay restitution and will not be eligible for early release via a treatment program until she completes at least eight years of her sentence.
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