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'I want to be sure justice is done for my daughter'

Hit-and-run victim’s family, friends attend suspect’s court hearing

Richard Gould | Hickory Daily Record

Joshua Gajus (center) speaks to Charlie Sybrant’s parents, Michael and Dee, outside Hickory District Courthouse on Thursday. Sybrant was struck by a vehicle and killed Oct. 18.

DETAILS

The victim:

Charlie Sybrant, 22, of Hickory, was a graduate student studying criminal justice at Appalachian State University when she was struck and killed in a hit-and-run accident.

“This was her first semester,” said her mother. “She was a good kid — she really was.”

Sybrant wanted to work with juveniles in the court system, said her father, Michael Sybrant.

She volunteered with the Red Cross and other charities. And she had a reputation for intense honesty.

“You didn’t ask Charlie a question if you didn’t want an honest answer. That’s just how Charlie was,” her father said.

A remembrance walk is scheduled for 6 p.m. today on the ASU campus.

The accident:

Sybrant and her friend Gajus had run out of gas and were walking along the on-ramp around 2 a.m. when she was hit.

Sybrant died at the scene of accident. Gajus sustained injuries to his leg, and the driver of the car that hit them fled the scene of the accident.

About an hour later, a Valdese police officer stopped a 2003 Chevrolet Impala for suspicion of driving while impaired.

The driver, Daniel Thomas Whisnant, 18, of Lenoir, was arrested.

Two days later Whisnant’s passenger, Joey Lee Durham, 20, of Collettsville, was arrested and charged with felony accessory after the fact and given a $5,000 unsecured bond.

Durham was riding in the front passenger seat of Whisnant’s car, according to officials with the Hickory Police Department. He was arrested for not reporting the accident.

Sybrant’s father, Michael Sybrant, praised the Hickory Police Department for its work on the case.

“Law enforcement has been great. They’ve really gone the extra mile on this,” he said.

What’s next:

Whisnant is scheduled to appear in court Nov. 25 for his driving while impaired and driving while license revoked charges.

By Richard Gould | Hickory Daily Record

Published: November 6, 2009

HICKORY - Charlie Sybrant's friends and family filled an entire row in the Hickory District Courthouse on Thursday as the man accused of killing the graduate student made a brief appearance in court.

Daniel Thomas Whisnant, 18, of Lenoir, is charged with felony death by motor vehicle, felony serious injury by motor vehicle, two counts of felony hit and run with injury, DWI and driving while license revoked.

Sybrant, 22, was fatally injured Oct. 18, when she was struck by a vehicle while walking along the Interstate 40 on-ramp on U.S. 321.

Sybrant's friend, Joshua Gajus, 24, also hit by the car that claimed Sybrant's life, attended Thursday's hearing in a wheelchair that supported his bandaged left leg.

Before Whisnant's hearing, a parade of DUI suspects went before the judge and pleaded guilty to a variety of charges, while the judge handed out suspended sentences, fines and probation.

Gajus and Sybrant's parents said they were present in court to make sure justice was done.

"I've lost my best friend and my daughter. I want to be sure justice is done for my daughter," Dee Sybrant said. "That was the most devastating day of my life — that was my baby."

Whisnant, 18, arrived in the courtroom about noon, wearing a light green jumpsuit and shackles.

After conferring with his lawyer, David Moose, Whisnant decided to waive his probable cause hearing and have his case transferred to Superior Court.

Sybrant's father, Michael Sybrant, said he plans to attend every one of Whisnant's court appearances as the case winds its way through the legal system.

"I'll be at every one of them for sure," he said.

Whisnant's bond is set at $104,000 secured.

District Court Judge Amy R. Sigmon amended his bond conditions so he will not be allowed to operate a motor vehicle or consume alcohol or impairing substances while his case is pending if he is able to post bond.

Dee Sybrant said she has not forgiven the man accused of killing her daughter.

"Forgiveness is something he'll have to ask for and earn," she said.

Sybrant said her message to others is to stay put if they've been drinking and to call for a ride rather than getting behind the wheel and taking the chance of killing themselves or someone else.