Woman sentenced to 7 years for DWI in Fort Worth crash that killed TCU dean
A Tarrant County judge sentenced a woman to seven years in prison Wednesday for the 2019 vehicular accident death of a Texas Christian University assistant dean Jamie Dulle, according to the Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office.
Cristen Hamilton, now 37, was arrested after the crash on March 10, 2019, that killed Dulle. She bonded out of jail but was arrested again after her charges were increased from intoxication assault to intoxication manslaughter with a vehicle.
Dulle, 41, was driving west in the 2200 block of West Rosedale Street when her vehicle was hit from behind around 3:30 a.m., according to police. The crash caused Dulle’s vehicle to hit a utility pole at Rosedale Avenue and Forest Park Boulevard.
Dulle was taken to John Peter Smith Hospital, where she was pronounced dead about 11:15 a.m. on March 11, according to police. She was alone in the vehicle, and no one else was injured.
Judge Scott Wisch presided over the case.
“Nobody wins here today,” said Wisch. “This is one of the most sad cases I have ever presided over.”
Hamilton, a former medical student, “made one mistake, distressed about not making good enough grades to stay in her school, went out drinking and then got behind the wheel of her car,” said the judge. “Her one bad mistake cost the life of a brilliant and dedicated servant at TCU.”
Hamilton plead “true” to the deadly weapon found in her case. Wisch then made her ineligible for probation.
Dulle oversaw Student Advocacy, Crisis Response, and the Women’s Education Program, according to TCU’s website.
Dulle was a beloved single mother of two boys, Boston and Braylen, who moved to Fort Worth after their father, Dulle’s husband, died from brain cancer in 2010.
Friends said she promised her husband she would raise their sons while fulfilling her own dreams, according to a story from tcu360.com. She earned her doctorate in education after presenting her dissertation focused on student-athletes and their help-seeking behavior.
“She did it all,” Kathy Cavins-Tull, who is the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs at TCU, said in court. “Devoted to her sons, devoted to the students and a champion of the of TCU athletic department, helping athletes through times of crisis.”
Tarrant County Assistant Criminal District Attorney Christopher McGregor, who prosecuted the case, said it’s heartbreaking to hear 2 1/2 hours of testimonies.
“I commend Ms. Hamilton for taking responsibility for her actions, but she made a mistake that took an innocent woman’s life, left her boys without parents and deprived TCU of a gifted dean,” McGregor said.
Hamilton’s father, tearfully apologized to Dulle’s family.
“We’re not asking for mercy or a reduced sentence for our daughter; we’re only asking for forgiveness,” Hamilton’s father said in court.
Hamilton must serve at least half her sentence before she is eligible for parole.
This story was originally published December 28, 2022 at 5:36 PM.