Family, Friends Remember UCO Student Killed In Drunk Driving Crash

OKLAHOMA CITY – News 9

This weekend marks one year since the death of a Metro college student who was tragically killed by a drunk driver. Dozens gathered on Sunday for a balloon release to remember her life.

Those close to Marissa Murrow say she was a loving person. They say tonight is about remembering the life of a young woman taken too soon.

“She loved life, and everyone felt like they were her best friend,” said Quinna Fisher, a friend.

The Edmond community came together on the campus of the University of Central Oklahoma (UCO) for an emotionally charged evening. Murrow was hit and killed while driving home on the Kilpatrick Turnpike. She was a student at UCO and active in her sorority.

“That was when my whole world crashed down because you always hear always think that would never happen to me,” Ashlynn Stewart said, a friend. “I was reading these words on my phone, and I was like there’s no way.”

Murrow’s sorority sisters, as well as family and friends, held a balloon release to honor her life and legacy. They tell me she always made people feel welcome.

“She would always know if I was having a bad day or something was off,” Marissa Krusemark said, a friend. “She would never fail to text or send notes.”

Her life was cut short last year by a drunk driver. According to investigators, Murrow was heading home when she was allegedly struck by Malcolm Penney’s truck.

Troopers say he was driving the wrong way, with a blood alcohol content twice the legal limit. Murrow’s family now says they’re working to bring awareness to the danger and realities of drinking and driving.

“Make sure that her story is told,” her mother Kristy Murrow said. “Not so that people feel bad, but so that someone else can live, by changing some things.”

Penney was charged with second-degree murder and accused of leaving the scene of a fatality accident.

Malcolm Penney’s trial is set to start in two months.