Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
- Julie Ann Budge is seeking parole after being convicted of killing two cyclists.
- Budge expressed remorse and attributed the crash to medication impairment.
SALT LAKE CITY — A Hurricane woman who hit and killed two brothers during a bicycle event in St. George is seeking parole.
Julie Ann Budge, now 49, was convicted of fatally striking brothers Matthew and Adam Bullard on April 9, 2022, during the annual Spring Tour of St. George. Although the crash happened in 2022, Budge wasn't convicted until Jan. 29, 2024, when a jury found her guilty of two counts of automobile and reckless driving. She was sentenced in June 2024 to consecutive prison sentences of up to 5 years for automobile homicide convictions. She was also given credit for the more than two years she had been incarcerated from the time of the crash.
During her first parole hearing on Tuesday, Budge frequently expressed remorse and occasionally wiped away tears as she read several answers she had prepared in response to the questions asked by the Board of Pardons and Parole.
"I'd do anything to change that day and I never want to drive again," she said.
When asked to recount what she did that day, Budge said, "I was the driver of the vehicle that caused the accident, and I am responsible for the deaths of Matthew Bullard and Adam Bullard.
"I took medication that had made me sick that I didn't know was making me sick at the time."
"By sick, do you mean impaired?" board member Blake Hills asked.
"Yes," Budge replied.
Budge said she didn't notice anything wrong with her until she had already started driving and, at that point, decided to turn around and go back home.
"I didn't feel good, and I should go home, and that's the last thing I can remember before the impact," she said.
Budge became emotional during Tuesday's hearing when she said, "There are no words to make it right." She admitted she had attempted to take her own life while incarcerated because of the guilt she feels.
"I will never be the same. Not a day goes by that I don't think of (the victims) or their families," she said. "I'd ask for forgiveness, but I don't feel I deserve any. Some days it's really hard to live with myself."
Despite her grief, Budge told the board her mental health is "more stable than it has been in a very long time."
"I have changed beyond measure since being incarcerated," she said. "I've found a relationship with God that I never thought possible with someone like me" while adding that she's "honestly grateful" for what she's learned while in prison.
The full five-member board will now vote on whether to grant parole or set another hearing for a future date.
