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Mother of Fatal DUI Crash Victim Unaware Her Son Consumed Alcohol

Posted: Wednesday, July 12th, 2017 at 10:13 pm

On Wednesday, the mother of Stone Hill, one of the 17 year old victims of a deadly car crash took the stand and testified against the woman who is accused of allowing underage drinking in her home.

When Tina Hill took the stand started her testimony by explaining to jurors that her son Stone was her only child.  She also told the jurors he was involved in various sports in high school such as baseball, wrestling and football. He would have been a senior in high school playing on the varsity football team and after graduating Stone was planning on playing College football.

Stone and Nicholas Mankin, 16, were just two minutes from Stone’s house when his Toyota 4Runner crashed while on Slab Road.

The boys were leaving Jodie Tierney’s house, where according to testimony she repeatedly allowed her son and his high school buddies to drink alcohol. Co- prosecutors Tim Barker and Sarah Buhite alleged she would regularly allow the teenagers to consume alcohol with out any consequences and even purchased alcohol three times.

After Stone and Nick were killed in the wreck, Tina Hill informed the jurors that Tierney came to her house.

“She showed up at our house, said she was a nervous wreck,” Tina Hill remembers. “We asked her what happened that day.”

Tierney remembers the teenagers were “happy and laughing,” and she didn’t know what they did after they left her house recalls Tina Hill.

During Tina Hill’s cross examination, Douglas Bare, defense attorney, asked if she had been told by anyone else that the boys were going to Nick’s home before heading to Stone’s house.

She confirmed that Tierney told her the boys had gone to Nick’s house. However, there is no other account or evidence that would propose the teens actually did go to Nick’s house. According to Tina Hill there had never been any mention of the teenagers drinking alcohol from Tierney ever.

In a statement from Stone’s mother Tierney had failed to mention that prior to the fatal car crash another boy’s father had been called due to the teenager becoming ill from the alcohol consumption.

Tina Hill and her husband always locked up their alcohol as a precaution when Stone’s friends were over to avoid any temptation.

“We removed the temptation,” she said.

If she had know that her son along with the other teenagers were drinking at the Tierney there would have been consequences.

She said, “He not only would have had his (car) keys pulled, he would not have been allowed to return there.”

Tammy Heffner, the mother of Cody Heffner, a member of the group of friends also testified on Wednesday.

The son of Tammy Heffner was according to her there “most weekends,” and that she also did not know the teenagers, including Cody were drinking there.

“He would’ve been in a lot of trouble” if Tammy Heffner said had known she added he would have been grounded “for quite a long time.”

“Cody knew how we felt about it,” according to her.

Tina Hill and Tammy Heffner both told jurors they never had given the teens alcohol in the past.

When Tina was testifying she states she used the iPhone “find my phone” function on her iPhone to keep track of Stone’s and where he was since he was expected home just after 7pm that evening.

Power went out when she was walking up the stairs from the basement after doing laundry.

“I got a sick feeling,” she said. Stone’s iPhone was found on Slab road and she told her husband they need to go because something was terribly wrong.

When the Hills arrived they saw smoke coming from the burning SUV, at first Mr. Hill thought of running to the stopped traffic in hopes of finding Stone.

“But I knew it was him,” she stated.

Tina Hill knew Stone was in the accident with Nick when she saw the rescue worker hold up two fingers to the other rescue workers.

Stephen D. Tierney, 46-year-old, on Monday pleaded guilty to providing minors with alcohol minor corruption.

According to the Judge, on Aug 21^st the charges of involuntary manslaughter and child endangerment will be dropped at his sentencing.

Stephen Tierney’s plead guilty for allowing the teenagers to drink alcohol at his home and not for the deaths of Stone and Nick.

Wednesday afternoon the testimony will continue.

However, Jodie Tierney is out on bail, she is  only charged with two counts each of involuntary manslaughter and child endangerment, and one count each allowing alcohol and corruption of minors.

 

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