Driver who killed 2 people in 2021 DUI crash seeks parole for second time

SALT LAKE CITY — At her first parole hearing in 2024, Kesley Pope said it was hard to hear that her behavior while incarcerated at the Utah State Prison was not considered acceptable and was ultimately one of the reasons parole was denied.

"These last two years, I've been able to reflect a lot on that," she said Tuesday. "I was more considerate and mindful this time."

Early on the morning of Halloween 2021, Pope, then 22, drifted out of her lane and hit a vehicle that had run out of gas and was pulled over to the shoulder of an off-ramp from I-15 in Orem and had its hazard lights on. Pope's blood-alcohol level was measured at 0.10%.

Season M. Dow, 43, a third-grade teacher at Brookhaven Elementary, and Tobias "Toby" Dow, 16, of American Fork, were both killed in the crash.

In a plea deal, Pope pleaded guilty to two counts of automobile homicide, a third-degree felony, and was sentenced to two consecutive terms of up to five years in the Utah State Prison.

In August 2024, Pope went before the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole for the first time. But her parole was denied in part because of "institutional behavior" as she kept getting write-ups for violating prison rules.

On Tuesday, Pope, now 27, went before the parole board for the second time.

While Pope had 12 violations during her first 2 1/2 years in prison, she has only been written up three times since her last hearing, in addition to one potential violation still under review. Her recent violations were for breaking the rules regarding phone usage and prison clothing. Pope said Tuesday that she believes she has made a "really big improvement" on not violating the rules since her last hearing.

But board member Dan Bokovoy pressed Pope as to why she would intentionally violate any rules at all.

"Why would you have done that?" he asked.

As for the phone violations — which include three-way phone conversations, which are not allowed — Pope talked about struggling with temptation, loneliness and the need for validation at times.

"It was not worth it at all. I definitely learned my lesson on that," she said.

Bokovoy reminded Pope that there were concerns raised during her original parole hearing that she had not taken accountability for her crime. Although she has expressed sorrow for her actions, Bokovoy asked if the fact that she continues to acquire new write-ups is a sign of her lack of accountability.

"I know what I did was wrong... It was my mistake," she said. "At the end of the day, I try to be my best self every single day."

Pope said she still makes mistakes, but she's proud of herself for her accomplishments over the past two years.

"Over the last two years, I've tried so hard," she said. "I don't want to make another mistake that can hurt somebody else again."

Pope said she was also disappointed to learn that according to a housing report prepared for Tuesday's hearing, administrators with the Utah Department of Corrections believe she "consistently" displays "manipulative" behavior amongst her peers and "intentionally creates environments" where her peers get worked up because of her arguing or debating.

"I was very disappointed when I saw that housing report," she said. "In hindsight, I see where I definitely could have communicated better... My intentions are always good."

Bokovoy asked if Pope's institutional behavior is a reflection of how she will act if she is granted parole, or if she'll continue to get in trouble for doing "silly little things."

"All I can do is keep trying. I want to follow the rules... I want to get that chance to prove to myself I can do it," she said. "I realized the small rules are the big rules."

Pope said spending "half your 20s" in prison is going to create growing pains and that she now recognizes that her "destructive behaviors" not only landed her in prison but have also kept her there. Some of those behaviors, she said, include not following the "small rules."

On the positive side, Bokovoy noted that Pope's risk level to potentially reoffend had gone down significantly over the past two years, and she has successfully passed every drug test she has been given.

In June, a judge ordered Pope to pay a total of $60,000 as part of a wrongful death civil suit filed by the Dow family. Although no representatives from the Dow family were present at Tuesday's hearing, Pope said Tuesday that she received encouraging words from Season Dow's husband, Christian, during the civil hearings. At the end of Tuesday's hearing, she read a letter she had prepared for him.

"No matter how much time passes, I need your family and loved ones to know I'm forever sorry," she said. "I'm so sorry for what I did. I'm sorry I can't take the pain away."

Pope told Bokovoy several times that she is always working on bettering herself.

"I don't want to come back to prison," she said. "I just don't want to be another statistic in that, at all... I'm not perfect. But I'm never going to stop trying to be better."

The full five-member board will now vote on whether to grant parole. Pope's sentence is scheduled to run until 2031.

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