Florida Woman’s Smiling Mugshot Triggers Public Outcry After Lethal DUI Accident

We often discuss the choice of whether to smile in a mugshot (at the risk of appearing gleeful) or frowning (at the risk of looking guilty). Angenette Welk, 44, chose poorly.  Her smiling mugshot has prompted an outrage from people over the fact that, before she took the picture, she killed a 60-year-old mother in a drunk driving accident.

Welk failed to brake in time and rear-ended a Hyundai Elantra. The Elantra then slammed into a tractor-trailer. The driver of the Elantra, Shiyanne Kroll, 18, was not seriously hurt but her mother, Sandra Clarkson, 60, was killed.  She lingered for days before dying from her injuries.

Welk claimed that she dropped her phone right before the crash but her blood alcohol level was .172 — more than twice the legal limit.