4 1/2 years for deaths by `moderation drinker'

ELLENSBURG - In a morning marked by calls for forgiveness and justice, the founder of a national movement that believes problem drinkers can drink in moderation was sentenced yesterday to 4 1/2 years in prison for killing two people while driving drunk.

Audrey Kishline of Woodinville, the 43-year-old founder of Moderation Management, was allowed for the first time to speak to the family of her victims.

Kishline, who pleaded guilty in June to two counts of vehicular homicide for the deaths of Richard Davis and his 12-year-old daughter, LaShell, had been forbidden from communicating with the family.

"I am so very, very sorry for the pain I have caused you, and I know that my words are utterly powerless," Kishline said before being sentenced by Kittitas County Superior Court Judge Michael Cooper.

"I know my remorse and punishment cannot undo the pain I have caused you."

Trembling and crying as she addressed the court, Kishline said she remembered little about the March 28 accident and had blacked out after drinking for most of the evening.

Kishline had a blood-alcohol level of .26, more than three times the state's legal limit, when she drove the wrong way on Interstate 90 near Cle Elum and crashed into Davis' car, killing the 38-year-old man and his daughter.

"It was like a dream where you cannot believe what you're doing," she said. "The fact that I have caused these deaths is beyond my comprehension."

Kishline faced a sentence of between three years and five months and 4 1/2 years. Cooper gave her the maximum.

Kishline started Moderation Management in 1993 as an alternative to Alcoholics Anonymous. She has removed herself as president of the organization, and she has undergone treatment for alcoholism at an Oregon facility.

In January, Kishline said the Moderation Management approach of limiting rather than abstaining from alcohol consumption had not worked for her.

Kishline had been the group's primary voice and had written "Moderation Management," the 1994 book used as the organization's guide. The book outlines the nine-step program participants follow to control their drinking.

Kishline, who has battled alcoholism and has said she had gone through more than 30 doctors and two previous treatment centers before entering the one in Oregon for her drinking, should have been more alert about the power alcohol had over her, Kittitas County Deputy Prosecutor Margaret Sowards said.

"We have a woman who legimitized drinking rather than deal with her problem. She intellectualized it and turned it into a movement," Sowards said.

Kishline's sisters, Nicole and Tina Conn, agreed with Sowards and said after the hearing that they think she was given an inadequate sentence.

"It's hard for me to say this, but I don't think it's stiff enough," said Nicole Conn, 40, who is also a recovering alcoholic.

"I believe that she never really got her drinking under control."

Two dozen members of the Davis family attended the hearing, many wearing buttons displaying a picture of Richard and LaShell Davis. Several relatives urged the court to give Kishline the maximum sentence.

Most relatives said it will be hard to forgive Kishline for taking the lives of Davis and his daughter, who was killed 10 days after her 12th birthday.

"She knew all along her problem was a choice. She could have prevented this," said Richard Davis' older brother, Will. "Because this woman would not and could not follow her own guidelines, our family has had to suffer."

After completing her sentence, Kishline will be placed under community supervision and will not be allowed to consume alcohol or even enter a bar for two years. Her attorney, John Crowley of Seattle, said she hopes to write a book about the accident and her break with Moderation Management.

"She's going to use her time wisely in prison. She's going to take advantage of this," Crowley said. "She wants others to learn from this tragedy."

As she was led out of the courtroom, Kishline was approached by Connie Thorndike, Richard Davis' girlfriend, and another friend of the Davis family. The three held hands and talked.

"We said a prayer together," Thorndike said. "I know she is seeking forgiveness, and I know the Lord will give it to her."

Andrew DeMillo's phone message number is 206-464-2782. His e-mail address is ademillo@seattletimes.com.