Forgiving Drunk Driver Who Killed Husband

“Charles left here that Thursday evening around six o'clock. After around 7:30 p.m., we didn't hear anything from him. So, my daughter and I, we kept calling him, and calling him, and texting. We didn’t hear anything from him and that was so very unusual.” What seemed like an ordinary Thursday evening to Daphne Brazil, was about to become one of the darkest times in her life. She recalls, “I was getting a little nervous. It was so unlike him to not be here, especially for dinner.”

Daphne’s husband, Charles, had run to his real estate office to catch-up on work. As the hours passed with no word, Daphne grew concerned. Then, around 10 p.m. came a knock on the door. She says, “I looked out the window and I'm like, ‘oh my goodness, it's the police.’ My heart was beating so very fast. I opened the door and the police said, ‘Is this the home of Charles Brazil?’ At that moment I was just numb. It was just too much to take at that time.”
 
Charles, husband and father of three, had been hit head-on by a drunk driver. He didn’t survive. Daphne says, “I didn’t even know what to say. I just sat there in complete silence.” Her pastor was called and soon Daphne was surrounded by family and church friends. She recalls, “I needed that support. It was comforting. But, it just seemed like every second was hitting me. Charles is not here. Charles has died. Charles was hit by a drunk driver. And I kept thinking that I was having a nightmare. And I needed for the nightmare to be over with because I just couldn't believe what had happened.”

By 2 a.m. everyone was gone and Daphne went to bed. Unable to sleep, she took her pain to God. She recalls, “I just had to just sit there and try to grasp what has happened 'cause I didn't, just didn't know what to say or what to do. I was feeling, it was just in a deep, deep, deep hurt. I just sat there in complete silence and let Him talk to my heart. I knew that He was gonna be there for me to comfort me, and help carry me, and the family through this.”

Even though she was hurting, Daphne says she had no hatred for the man who took her husband’s life. She says, “God had taught me a lot about forgiveness. And so, I knew that...that was something that I was gonna have to do. But the pain was still there. The pain and the hurt was still there, but I knew that I had to let God do His job.”

As the weeks turned into months, Daphne and her family continued to rely on the Bible and God for their strength. She says, “I just see His hand all over my life with just taking care of everything for me. He continues to carry me, comfort me, console me whenever I feel just a little down. I don’t get lonely because I know that the Lord, He’s here with me.”

Then in February 2023, 21 months after the accident, Daphne finally faced the man who killed her husband. It was his trial and she read her victim impact letter to him. Daphne says, “I forgave him, and my prayer is that he would turn his life around while he's in prison. It was just God...just speaking from my heart to let him know that God loves him, and God has mighty plans for him, and that he's forgiven by me. I don't think I could have forgiven the young man without God's help. If I hadn't forgiven him, I'd probably have an attitude. I'd probably be mean, angry, hateful, not a good person.”

The driver was found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to 20 years in prison. Daphne recalls, “I told him that my husband would've been 57 the year of this trial. And I said, 'I pray that you touch 57 souls while you are in prison, and that it will, that your, your story will make an impact on their lives.'”

Although her healing is still in process, Daphne has experienced the peace and freedom that comes with forgiving people who’ve hurt you. She says, “It's very important that we learn to forgive people so that we could be set free. Because when you are in an unforgiveness state, it's like you are in a bondage, you're in darkness, and it really hinders your relationship with the Lord. Forgiveness is truly something hard, but guess what? With Christ, it can be easy. I'm a living witness. It can be definitely easy. If they choose to let the Lord comfort them and help them through that process, it can be done, 100%.”