DENVER (KDVR.com) — Thirteen-year-old Dyrah Duncan appeared in a Denver courtroom Wednesday to testify in the sentencing hearing of the woman who killed her mother.
“Just because one person dies in your life, doesn`t mean you can`t stop living,” Duncan said.
As Duncan watched drunk driver Victoria Barry hide her face entering the courtroom, thoughts of what she would say inside court raced through her mind.
“I don`t have a mom anymore. She took away my mom. She took away even my mom`s life,” Duncan said.
Once inside court, Dyrah told the judge about life since that night.
“I know she`s never coming back. My mom was killed on May 13, 2011 by a drunk driver,” Duncan said as she addressed the court.
In May 2011, Barry drove the wrong way on I-25 near Downing, causing the devastating wreck that killed the 31-year-old mother. After a jury convicted Barry, she had one last chance to defend herself before a judge handed down her sentence.
“I wake up every morning asking myself that question why I am still here. But I have to believe it`s to be an instrument to help others,” Barry said in court.
What struck onlookers, many who cried throughout, is that in a 14-minute plea, Barry never said the words, “I’m sorry.”
“I had my life as I knew it taken away from me on May 14 and my future. Whether I have a future is in your hands,” she said.
A judge sent Barry to prison for 10 years and she was taken away in handcuffs.
