Court Finds Oregon Woman Guilty of Criminally Negligent Homicide in an Accident that Killed Her Boyfriend

Incessant comments about the Russo-Ukrainian War could have upset and affected the thinking and decision-making of Oksana Yuriyevna Titarenko while driving drunk and above the speed limit before crashing her vehicle in an accident that killed her boyfriend.

The 26-year-old was found guilty of criminally negligent homicide and driving under the influence after a bench trial at the Linn County Courthouse in late August. The three-year jail sentence relates to an accident in July 2022 in which Mikhail Ermolenko (3) of Salem was killed.

Russo-Ukrainian War Discussion Could Have Clouded Her Judgment

Evidence was that before the accident, the long-time couple were drinking at a barbeque in Lyon and that Ermolenko incessantly commented about the recent outbreak of the Russo-Ukrainian War. He was a Russian, and Titarenko is of Ukrainian heritage. Evidence was that the discussion could have clouded her judgment while driving.

The court heard that before the barbeque, Titarenko performed ‘amateur field sobriety tests’ which included hopping on one foot and walking a straight line.

Court documents said the accused did not feel impaired when the couple left the restaurant. Evidence was that Titarenko drank some champagne and a couple of cocktails over several hours and had waited an hour after she had stopped drinking before leaving the premises.

She was directed along back roads to the coast by a GPS. About 10 minutes later, Titarenko crashed the vehicle about three miles southwest of Lyons on Oregon 226.

Evidence was that Titarenko was driving at 67 mph in a 55-mph zone and lost control of the vehicle on a curve. The vehicle skidded off the road and onto the right shoulder before rolling.

Airbags deployed but Ermolenko was not wearing a seatbelt and was thrown from the vehicle. He died after slamming his head slammed into the road, according to court documents.

Accused was ‘Dazed’ and ‘Out of It’

First respondents at the scene of the accident described Titarenko as ‘out of it’ and ‘dazed.’ According to a probable cause affidavit by Oregon State Police, Titarenko admitted she was driving ‘way too fast’ before losing control of the vehicle.

She was admitted to Salem Hospital, where a blood sample indicated a blood alcohol content of .13%. Court documents state breath tests by police later returned readings of .082% and .077%. Oregon has a .08% legal limit for driving impaired.

Titarenko, who is in custody at the Coffee Creek Correctional Facility in Wilsonville, was initially charged with felony second-degree manslaughter and misdemeanor driving under the influence of alcohol.

In 2016, she was convicted of a misdemeanor for failing to perform the duties of a driver regarding property damage in a hit-and-run accident in Marion County, according to court records.