Woman charged in death of two Berea College students faces a judge

MADISON COUNTY, Ky. (WTVQ)- A Madison County woman is accused of manslaughter in a car crash that killed two Berea College students.

Her lawyers are already trying to punch holes in the prosecution’s case 37-year-old Natasha Gross, of Berea has pleaded not guilty

Berea police say she was driving recklessly on October 27th and had caused other accidents before a collision that killed 23-year-old Dzhoana Ivanova from Bulgaria and 21-year-old Enkhjin Enkhbold from Mongolia.

Lawyers for Natasha Gross called into question much of the state’s case against her during this preliminary hearing including why she is being charged with the death of two Berea College students.

Gross’s lawyers spent most of the hearing asking investigators why they charged gross with manslaughter and not Darryl Long Foster the driver of the other car the victims were in.

According to investigators, the crash happened at the intersection of Walnut Meadow Road and Highway 956 on October 27th when Foster allegedly drove through the intersection as Gross was turning left.

Investigators say bottles of alcohol were found inside both cars.

Foster was charged with DUI.

Gross was not charged with DUI but faces multiple charges related to this crash and two others police say she was involved in just minutes before the deadly collision.

Gross’s lawyers say they believe those earlier reported incidents played a role in how the state laid out its charges.

“He’s the at-fault driver in terms of turning in there and yet she’s the one that comes out with the homicide and I have to think that that had something to do with the other alleged incident on big hill road. But I don’t think anybody can stand here and say that that seems fair that he’s not charged and she is,” said Jim Baechtold, Gross’s lawyer.

The judge ruled there was probable cause in the case against gross. It now goes to a grand jury.