Amy Locane Expresses Concern Over Her Children’s Memory in Exclusive Jailhouse Interview

After spending two weeks in quarantine at her local jail, Melrose Place actress Amy Locane was transferred to the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women in New Jersey on Monday. She is set to complete a minimum four-year sentence before becoming eligible for parole. Previously, Locane had already served a two-and-a-half-year sentence five years ago for her involvement in a drunk driving collision in 2010 that resulted in the death of Helene Seeman, aged 60, in Montgomery Township, New Jersey. However, State Superior Court Judge Angela Borkowski decided to extend her sentence, deeming the punishment for her initial conviction of second-degree vehicular homicide and assault by auto too lenient.

Despite arguments from her attorney and boyfriend, Jim Wronko, who claimed that a new sentence would violate Locane’s double jeopardy protections, the actress and mother of two, who has remained sober since the 2010 incident, is now back in prison. Wronko expressed his frustration, saying, “People ask me, ‘Explain this. It doesn’t make any sense.’ And my answer is I can’t explain because I don’t think it makes any sense either.”

Wronko intends to appeal Locane’s latest conviction to the New Jersey Supreme Court. He continues to emphasize that while Locane takes responsibility for Seeman’s death and her actions, the victim’s husband, Fred, made a left turn into Locane’s lane just before the fatal collision occurred. Seeman died near her home’s driveway, and Locane was found to have a blood alcohol level of .26, which is more than three times the legal limit.

Wronko stated, “The judge obviously tailors everything in her own perspective. She says Amy doesn’t take responsibility, and that just tells me she didn’t read anything I gave her. Amy takes responsibility. She should not have consumed alcohol and then driven. She was involved in the accident. But that doesn’t mean you would ignore the fact that at the moment of impact, she was in her lane, and this guy cut her off. He was almost literally stopped in her lane. You don’t ignore that. That doesn’t mean that she’s not taking responsibility. Ultimately, we just have to hope the Supreme Court takes it. We fight on.”

In the meantime, Locane agreed to speak with EW about her return to prison and her concerns that her two daughters may forget about her.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY I understand your first two weeks in jail were spent alone in quarantine in an 8-by-10-foot cell. Your outdoor access was limited to 10 minutes a day. What went through your mind when you were sitting there?

AMY LOCANE: I’m constantly thinking about how my children are coping with this pandemic and the challenges of remote learning. They have alternating school days, and I find myself wondering which day they’re attending school and which day they’re at home. I often think about what might be going on in their minds. The first week was especially tough because we only had two phone calls, and it was incredibly difficult to reach them. Processing all of this from inside prison has been extremely challenging for me.

Your original sentence was stuck in appeals for five years. How were you feeling about your chances of avoiding more prison time?

I often feel like I have to be incredibly cautious about everything I say because I’m not entirely clear on all the legal aspects. It’s a very bewildering situation with one complication after another. I’ve managed to overcome many challenges, but it feels like the hurdles keep getting more and more surreal. I never anticipated having to stay here for as long as it turned out to be.

Does everything feel like it previously did when you were behind bars?

I’ve certainly gained a better understanding of how things operate now. When I first came in, I was completely in the dark and had no idea about the procedures or how to request things from certain officers. Going through my previous prison experience prepared me somewhat for this second time around. However, there are still moments when I find myself just staring at the wall, overwhelmed by the surreal nature of it all.

When is the soonest you think you’ll be able to see your girls again?

Due to being in quarantine, I haven’t had any visits, and once you’re in prison, you essentially become isolated for a month. You can make phone calls and such, but if I recall correctly, they only allocate about an hour for everyone to make their calls. So, the chances of actually getting on the phone are quite slim. It’s not an ideal situation.

Did you prepare the girls for the possibility that you would return to prison?

Yeah. They didn’t understand it. One was like, “Why are they pushing you so hard?” I don’t know. I’m not minimizing what happened in 2010. It was serious and devastating.

Is there any comfort you can take knowing that there is a lot of interest in your situation worldwide? Your attorney was telling me he heard from a German TV outlet the other day.

I try to stay positive, but there is the fear that people will forget. I have a huge fear right now that my kids are gonna forget me. I won’t be home until my oldest is 18 and my youngest is 16.  I can’t even fathom that. I cannot even think about that. I guess it is comforting [that people are interested]. People are feeling this way now, but when it’s no longer a story, I’ll just be forgotten.

Had you served time at Edna Mahan before?

Yeah. And some of the girls I knew are still there, so there’s a little bit of comfort in that. It’s funny… some of the officers [at the jail] just look at me and they’re like, “Huh.” They remember me from before. I just hope that common sense prevails. I don’t understand a lot of this. It’s kind of corny, but my youngest daughter’s middle name is Hope. I’m just clinging to hope right now. God has a plan, so I’ll just try to hang in there, you know? I kinda keep thinking of that and Hope.