COCOA, Fla. – A DUI manslaughter suspect bonded out of the Brevard County jail Thursday before even facing a judge.
Cocoa police said Suzanna Norris, 49, was driving drunk when she allegedly killed a woman who was walking -- Passion Lucas, a mother of six.
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‘’It’s been hard. I miss my mother,’’ Lucas’ daughter Khiyesha Brathwaite said.
As she walked out of jail, Norris said she had nothing to say to the Lucas family, until the proper time.
The crash happened in June, but Norris wasn’t arrested until Wednesday.
After the collision, police said Norris initially drove away from Industry Road.
When she came back, police said Norris admitted she knew she hit something, but she said she wasn’t sure what.
‘’It’s been obvious and admitted from the chief of police of Cocoa that this investigation was messed up from the beginning,’’ said Jessica Travis, the attorney for the Lucas family.
Travis said police have known since last summer Norris was driving at more than twice the legal limit.
News 6 asked Thursday to interview police about its investigation, but police said no.
In a press release, Cocoa’s police chief wrote, ‘’We took our time and did a thorough investigation in order to arrive at a just conclusion.’’
According to its website, Norris is the founder and executive director of Hidden Acres Rescue for Thoroughbreds -- a horse ranch in Port St. John -- where News 6 first met her in 2019 when a 300-acre brushfire came dangerously close to her animals.
‘’You made a decision, Suzanna Norris, to drive drunk,’’ Makita Lucas said. ‘’You killed my sister and you should take responsibility.’’