A woman from Wisconsin has admitted to causing a tragic accident that claimed her husband’s life. Mary Jane Terry, 50, who was initially charged with first-degree intentional homicide, has now pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle. The horrifying incident unfolded in the small town of Crandon, located in Forest County, Wisconsin, on the night of October 19, 2023.
It all started when a neighbor heard an unusual noise outside his home. He described hearing a “prolonged thud,” followed by the sound of something being dragged across the road. When he looked out, brake lights from a truck lit up the scene. Sadly, the sound he heard was that of Terry’s husband, Donald Britten Jr., being struck and dragged by her truck.
When police arrived, Forest County Sheriff’s Deputy William Stanley, who had known both Terry and Britten for over 20 years, immediately recognized the man lying lifeless in the street. Terry was standing nearby, visibly distressed, repeatedly asking the deputy, “Billy, is he dead?”
Despite Stanley’s efforts to perform CPR, it was clear that Britten had passed away. When questioned about what happened, Terry initially claimed she didn’t know who had hit her husband. She suggested that Britten had her truck at the time. But as officers pressed her, Terry admitted she had driven the truck earlier to retrieve her phone from home, though she continued to deny hitting him.
Adding to the tragedy, deputies noticed Terry smelled strongly of alcohol. A field sobriety test revealed she was heavily intoxicated, with a blood alcohol level of 0.298—nearly four times the legal limit of 0.08. After further testing at a hospital, she was taken into custody and booked at the Forest County Jail.
As investigators pieced together the evidence, it became clear that Terry was behind the wheel when her husband was struck. Initially, she faced the serious charge of first-degree intentional homicide, along with homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle. However, in court on January 6, Terry reached a plea deal. She admitted guilt to the lesser charge, leading prosecutors to drop the more severe accusation of intentional homicide.
Terry is now awaiting her sentencing, scheduled for May 16. The case has left the small community of Crandon shaken, as friends and neighbors grapple with the heartbreaking details of the incident.