When former "Melrose Place" actress Amy Locane arrived in court, she didn't know if she would be picking up her girls at school that afternoon or if the next time she saw them would be in the visitor's room in prison.
SOMERVILLE -- When former "Melrose Place" actress Amy Locane arrived in Somerset County Superior Court on Friday morning, she didn't know if she would be picking up her girls at school that afternoon or if the next time she saw them would be in the visitor's room at the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women in Clinton Township.
That morning, Locane, who has already served 21/2 years in prison for a drunken crash that killed a Montgomery woman in 2010, went before Superior Court Judge Robert B. Reed in a resentencing hearing mandated in August by the state's Appellate Division.
The Appellate Division had ruled the that the leniency and downgraded sentence handed down by Judge Reed -- from second-degree vehicular homicide to third-degree and a three-year sentence for assault by auto to run concurrently -- in the crash that killed Helene Seeman lacked enough explanation and was inappropriate.
The light sentence and the reason Reed gave for giving it -- the welfare of Locane's two young girls, including one with Crohn's disease -- upset the Seeman family and the prosecution.
Locane, who is from Hopewell Township, was facing at least an additional six months in prison. Assistant Prosecutor Matthew Murphy was seeking a seven-year prison term with 85 percent served before parole, with an additional nine-month term for assault by auto. He wanted the sentences to run consecutively.
"I was prepared for the worst and hoping for the best," Locane told NJ Advance Media on Monday afternoon in her first interview in more than six years. "I was absolutely terrified.
Locane not given additional prison time
"I had worked so hard since 2010 on my sobriety, on adjusting to life in prison, on being released from prison, on acclimating to my children's lives, and to parole that having to go back would seriously interrupt, if not destroy, any progress I had made in becoming human again."
Reed, the focus of criticism for the lenient sentence given Locane, nonetheless held firm and didn't sentence her to additional jail. She didn't pick up her girls from school that day following a marathon hearing that didn't end until 4:15 p.m., but she remained a free woman.
"One of my happiest moments in a long time was to Face Time my girls on the elevator down from the courtroom, and telling them the good news," said Locane. "I thank God Judge Reed had the guts to stand his ground.
"I know Judge Reed went out on the limb for me and I'm not going to let him down. When someone sees the good in you like that and gives you a second chance, you don't want to disappoint them. I haven't taken a drink since the accident."
Fred Seeman, Helene's husband, who was severely injured in the crash, was again upset. He said Reed "bent over backwards to let her walk free." He said the judge was more concerned with Locane and her family than the family of the victim. He said Locane had not expressed any remorse to his family or shown any contrition. He said "this isn't over" and the state will appeal again.
"There hasn't been a day that has gone by that I didn't think of Helene Seeman," said Locane. "I feel terrible for her family. I know that they are hurting. I know that they are grieving. I have said that I'm sorry over and over to them, but I feel like it falls on deaf ears."
Locane's attorney, Somerville-based Michael Rogers, advised Locane to limit her comments in court on Friday to a letter she submitted to the court in which she apologized to the family.
On Monday, Locane appeared relaxed. She could finally exhale. She is still facing a civil lawsuit from the Seeman family, but she's not going back to jail, pending a possible appeal. She was engaging and quick to smile. She felt alive again after living a nightmare for more than 61/2 years.
Wrote letters to her children in prison
Locane, 44, spent much of her time in prison thinking about her two girls and constantly writing them letters. She attended Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, became a leader in a rehabilitation house in the prison and was very active in other support groups. She insisted on being part of the general population.
Locane was a model prisoner, according to court records. Reed cited her post-conviction behavior as a reason for not giving her additional prison time.
"Being in prison is dehumanizing," she said. "You take a shower with 60 other women. You have no privacy. I read a lot of books to distract me from my situation. Guards went through your mail. My girls would send me Mother's Day cards and the guards wouldn't let me keep them because they were too large or they contained glitter. Every time I left a visit with my girls, I had to endure a strip search in which I had to strip, squat and cough."
Locane said her lowest point came in the spring of 2013 when her then-4-year-old daughter with Crohn's disease underwent surgery to have a feeding tube inserted, and she wasn't able to attend.
"It's not like I didn't deserve to be in prison," she said. "My actions had devastating effects on the lives of innocent people. But for people to think I got a free pass is simply not true."
Locane daughters, now 6 and 8, visited her regularly, she said. Once a week at first and then twice a month. She says she missed out on so much of their lives while in prison. They were toddlers when she went in and they "were talking back to me" when I got out," said Locane.
Locane said some of her friends abandoned her while she was in prison.
"Being in prison is almost like witnessing your own death," she said. "People write to you initially and then they disappear. Then, sometimes you hear from absolute strangers and they tell you to stay strong."
Attending AA meetings in and out of prison has had a profound effect on her, Locane said. Since her release from prison on parole in June 2015, she attends an AA meeting at least once a week.
"People at AA meetings are so non-judgemental on whatever you have done," she said. "Those meetings give you coping skills."
Locane focused on rebuilding life, helping others
Five months after Locane was released from prison, she was served with divorce papers by her now-estranged husband, Mark Bovenizer, and has limited visitation rights with her two daughters.
Locane lives in an apartment, not far from her kids. Her driver's license is revoked for another 31/2 years, which limits her mobility, she said.
Locane said her daughter with Crohn's disease is doing well. She's taking medication for her illness, but "you're always sitting on the edge of your seat because of a possible flare up."
"I love my daughters so much," she said. "I love being a mom."
Locane said she has received several inquiries from the entertainment business about returning to acting. She has also received a proposal to write a book.
But she said she's more concerned about helping others right now, getting custody of her daughters and finding a better paying job to support herself and her daughters.
"First of all, I want to stay sober," said Locane. "I want to help people not make the same mistake I made. I want to warn the youth about the dangers of drinking and driving. Everybody thinks it's not going to happen to them, including myself.
"I also want to help women in prison make a smooth transition into society once they're released. There are not enough programs in prison to help women make that transition and maintain a healthy relationship with their children while they're in prison. That's important to me."
Whatever she does, Locane-Bovenizer said the memory of Helene Seeman will be forever in her thoughts.
"I made a horrible mistake on June 27, 2010, one that devastated a lot of people," she said. "I will always live with that pain. I can't get it back. All I can do is stay sober and make my life a living amends to the life of Helene Seeman."
Dave Hutchinson may be reached at dhutchinson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @DHutch_SL. Find NJ.com on Facebook.