Judge spares “Melrose Place” actress Amy Locane-Bovenizer more jail time in resentencing for fatal drunk driving accident

FILE - This Nov. 27, 2012 file photo shows former "Melrose Place" actress Amy Locane-Bovenizer in court as the jury in her trial returns a verdict in Somerville, N.J. Locane-Bovenizer, who was driving drunk when her SUV plowed into a car and killed a New Jersey woman, was sentenced Thursday, Feb. 14, 2013, to three years in prison. (AP Photo/The Star-Ledger, Robert Sciarrino, Pool)

During her resentencing, a judge ruled on Friday that former “Melrose Place” actress Amy Locane-Bovenizer won’t have to return to jail after serving two and a half years of a three-year sentence. An appeals court argued that her original sentence was too lenient for the crime: causing a fatal accident while driving drunk.

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Locane-Bovenizer was convicted of manslaughter, assault by auto, and other offenses for the 2010 New Jersey accident that killed 60-year-old Helene Seeman and seriously injured Seeman’s husband, Fred. She faced a sentence of 5 to 10 years on the most serious count but received only three and was released early.

A state appeals court requested that the judge provide detail on the downgraded sentence, and while the judge admitted that he should have given her an additional six months, he said she would not have to return to prison. He cited her behavior since her release, concluding that she is not a threat to society. Prosecutors had originally asked for seven years.

According to testimony and statements, Locane-Bovenizer crashed into the Seemans’ car after having consumed alcohol at two parties beforehand. Her blood-alcohol level was nearly three times the legal limit at the time of the crash, but her defense argued that it was an accident, saying a motorcyclist had distracted her by honking at her and chasing her after she almost rear-ended him.

The Seeman family and friends had harshly criticized the original sentence, and their criticism was no different after Friday’s announcement.

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