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Michele Ann Bevier

Nearly two years after a former Bonner Springs resident was killed in a traffic accident, family members say they still deal with their loved ones death.

Michele Ann Bevier moved to Bonner Springs with her family when she was in elementary school. She graduated from Bonner Springs High School in 1983 and attended Kansas University, where she met her future husband, Dana Laird. The two eventually moved to Prescott, Wis., where their story took a turn for the worse.

Bevier was killed April 22, 2007 in an automobile accident 1.5 miles from her home in Oak Grove, Wis. The accident left her husband seriously injured.

In March, Jeffrey Carlisle, 29, of St. Paul, Minn., was sentenced to 11 1/2 years in prison for homicide by vehicle while using a controlled substance and reckless driving resulting in great bodily harm.

“It makes it better now that it’s all done,” said Julie Grey, Bevier’s sister and a Basehor resident. “We do feel a lot better, but it will never bring her back. Nothing will bring her back. It’s still hard every day.”

Carlisle’s 2002 Cadillac Escalade crossed into oncoming traffic and struck Bevier’s 2005 Volvo station wagon that night two years ago. Carlisle was injured in the crash and taken to a St. Paul hospital, where a test showed cocaine and opiates in his bloodstream.

“(Carlisle) is a criminal,” Grey said. “It was more than a child out drinking and driving. He was a major criminal and drug abuser, and this was a long time coming. We didn’t think he got enough time, but the judge did give him more than what the state mandated.”

Grey said Bevier’s family and friends would never forget their lost loved one. For the past two Christmases, Grey said the family had a candle remembrance.

Bevier was buried in Mount Hope Cemetery in Topeka and Grey said she tries to visit her sister’s grave as much as possible. But mostly, Grey said, the family tried to visit and provide support for Laird, who Grey said is still struggling to recuperate from the accident.

“Dana lives with this every day, and he is still suffering,” Grey said of her sister’s husband. “He still needs assistance (from his injuries caused by the accident). We’re working through everything, but this sentencing helps a lot with closure.”

Grey said that her sister still had ties to the Bonner Springs community, and the family had received a lot of support from community members, which was greatly appreciated.

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