Sixteen years ago, a drunk driver jumped the curb in Wilson and killed two women who were walking home.
Jimmy Coleman went to prison for 12 years. Now, he's out. And last month, he was arrested for drinking and driving again.
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The mother of one of his victims is outraged and wants to see the laws change, so anyone who gets more than one DWI has their license permanently revoked.
Lisa Whitley thinks of her daughter Nikki every day. Her life ended at 22 years old. But her mother's digital picture frame keeps her face and voice playing on repeat, alongside those of her faces of her family and friends.
"She could walk in the room and I could be having the worst day ever, and she would walk in and everything would be fine. Just, 'Hey Mama,' and immediately, like the everything was okay," Whitley said.
Coleman killed Whitley and her friend Amie Sullivan, 25, in June 2010 on Raleigh Road Parkway where the women were walking home after a night out.
During his trial, prosecutors said Coleman was under the influence of drugs and alcohol that night. He was convicted of double manslaughter and served 12 years in prison. He got out in 2022.
At his sentencing, Whitley stood up and forgave Coleman for killing her daughter. Now that he has driven again while impaired, she says he doesn't deserve another chance.
"I didn't want to be bitter. He made a mistake. Hey, everybody makes mistakes ... it just so happened that his mistake took my daughter away. I could not live the rest of my life being angry with him, but now I'm angry," Whitley said.
Last month, Wilson deputies arrested Coleman for speeding, clocked at 71 miles per hour in a 55 mile per hour limit, and driving while impaired. His blood alcohol content at the time was .11, according to county records. Coleman paid a $1,000 bond for his release after his arrest for speeding and driving while impaired on Feb. 21.
WRAL asked the District Attorney of Wilson County if he agrees that Coleman should see more punishment, and his office took action.
District Attorney Jeffrey Marsigli's office put forward a motion to raise Coleman's bond to $5,000; the maximum amount for that charge. Marsigli told WRAL is it not uncommon to change the amount of a bond after it is initially set.
If the judge agrees to raise the bond and Coleman cannot afford to pay it, he'll go back to jail, Marsigli confirmed. A judge will make that decision at his next court date in May.
We reached out to Coleman, who does not have a defense attorney listed, and have not heard back.