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Mother Accused Of Killing Son In Alleged Drunk Driving Crash On I-80

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) - A Sacramento mother is accused of killing her young son in a drunk driving crash, but says the real killer is still out there.

Tyesha Garrett didn't want to speak with CBS13, but her brother did. Derek Garrett says his sister claims the real killer is still out there, and that someone else caused her to crash.

"He loved to go outside and just play. That's all he wanted to do all day. He was just a happy kid," said Derek.

The family of 11-year-old Eric Garrett is trying to swallow what happened early Sunday morning.

"He was always helpful. If you asked him to do something, he just always jumped to it," said Derek.

California Highway Patrol says Tyesha took Eric and his two younger sisters with her to deliver copies of The Sacramento Bee to retail outlets.

"Since schools out, they like to stay up and just go for a drive with mom," said Derek.

Officers say she was driving drunk and lost control of her suburban on the onramp to westbound Interstate 80 from Northgate Boulevard at around 4 a.m., throwing 11-year-old Eric out of the SUV as it flipped.

However, Derek says Tyesha told her mother a different story.

"From what I was told, is she was cut off by a driver and she tried to slam on her brakes to get out the way, and then the whole car just tipped over," Derek said.

The family is now struggling to understand why a young life was taken so suddenly and why his mother is being blamed.

"It's not normal. She never drinks and drives; she never puts her family in harm's way," said Derek. "I'm very angry. I'm very frustrated and hurt by the situation."

Eric's sisters, ages 10 and 3, were also in the car, but were not hurt.

The Sacramento Bee says Tyesha is not a contract driver for the newspaper, but works for an outside distribution company.

She is expected in court on Tuesday.

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