KENOSHA — For nearly eight months, the family of Angelina Principato waited for justice. On Wednesday — they got it.
Thirty-five-year-old Ashley Nolder was taken into custody following a court hearing in Kenosha — charged with killing 49-year-old Principato on September 22nd, 2025, in Salem Lakes. Nolder had a blood alcohol level of .211 — nearly three times the legal limit — and had her two nine-year-old children in the car at the time of the crash.
According to the criminal complaint, Nolder failed to yield while turning left on County Highway C — directly into the path of Principato's Harley Davidson. Bystanders performed CPR on the side of the road. Principato was pronounced dead at the hospital that same night. When officers first asked Nolder if she had been drinking, she lied and said no. She only admitted to drinking after being taken to the hospital for a blood draw.
Principato's eldest daughter — Ashley Richmond — stood before the court and delivered a victim impact statement that left the defendant in tears.
"On September 22nd of 2025, I suddenly lost my mother and my best friend — all because of the defendant's conscious decision to get behind the wheel drunk," Richmond said in court. "We were never given the chance to say goodbye to her because of the defendant's decision to drink and drive."
Watch: Family relieved as suspected drunk driver taken into custody 8 months after killing their mom
Richmond — who was seven months pregnant the night her mother was killed — had to identify Principato's body by a tattoo. An infinity symbol with her daughters' names on it.
After the hearing, Richmond spoke with TMJ4 News and said the moment Nolder was taken into custody was one she had been waiting for.
"Knowing that she’d walk free for the last almost 8 months was discouraging. She got to walk free and enjoy life while we've been waiting for answers," Richmond said. "I was honestly relieved to see justice on our side finally; that's what we needed for a little bit of closure."
Nolder faces eleven charges, including homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle. She is now in custody.
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