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A Bonner County woman signed a plea agreement yesterday in First District Court for one charge of vehicular manslaughter.

Frythe Peine was sentenced to five years with four years on supervised probation. Of that, 270 days will be served in Bonner County Jail. Peine was also ordered to pay a $500 fine, and pay restitution of $10,657 to the victim's family.

The bailiff called for reinforcement during Friday's sentencing after an exchange between members of both families escalated during testimony.

"I believe not only is the defendant guilty, but the defendant intentionally killed my brother in a fit of rage," said Kristyn Niver, sister of the victim. "There is too much evidence that points to this conclusion. It would have been so much easier for us to forgive, had it truly been an accident."

Niver said her brother, Kraig Peine, did not die upon impact, but called for help as he was laying beside the road on Lakeshore Drive. No information was found in court documents to support this claim.

Peine was convicted of running down her husband, after having an argument while intoxicated on July 31, 2020.

The two were drinking at 41 South before deciding to drive home, but got into an argument while traveling in their Mercedes Benz. Kraig Peine got out of the car, and Frythe Peine drove off, but later decided to turn around to get the victim,

According to court documents, Peine struck the victim in the westbound lane of Lakeshore Drive near Greenwood Hill Drive. Kraig Peine was discovered by a man and his grandson out on an evening walk. The man checked Peine for a pulse, and couldn't find one.

Bonner County Sheriff's deputies pronounced the victim dead at the scene when they arrived. Deputies also found Frythe Peine's Mercedes with damage to the grill, front fender, rearview mirror, and windshield.

Peine told law enforcement she thought she was going 45 mph when she struck her husband and believed herself to be a five on a 10-scale of intoxication.

During Friday's sentencing, friends and family members of both Peine's sat in distinctly separate rows.

Those giving testimony against Frythe Peine were Kraig Peine's father and sister, seated in the front row with two others.

The second row was entirely filled with supporters of Frythe Peine, who also received many character references which were entered as evidence. Even though those letters remain under seal, Judge Barbara Buchanan said on record that they spoke to her character and role in the community.

When the victim's family gave testimony, it was met with gasps, sighs, and side chatter from those in the gallery.

Things came to a head after the victim’s father, Noel Peine, testified.

"You really did a number on his head, when you told him you had an affair, one month before you killed him, when you ran him down," he said, looking at Frythe Peine from the stand.

Later, Noel Peine stood up and faced the gallery.

"To the family, you’re gonna get her back in just a short time, but I’m missing my son for eternity now,” he said. “He will not be here, but you'll get her back, and I'm sorry for ya."

One person gave a sarcastic laugh, while another said, "Excuse me?"

The comment caused Niver to turn around in her seat to look at the man seated behind her who made the statement.

The man was wearing a green plaid button down, and told Niver to turn around. Niver did not, but continued to hold eye contact with the man, who again told her to turn around. With emotion and a raised voice she leaned over the back of the row and said, "dead."

Noel Peine, who had returned to the gallery to take his seat next to his daughter, asked the man, "You wanna say something to me?"

At that point, others in the gallery interrupted the pair, saying that they were better off not getting into an argument.

After a few long seconds of maintaining eye contact, Noel Peine took his seat.

A bailiff crossed the courtroom to restore order, and called for a second bailiff who watched the remainder of the hearing from the gallery.

Frythe Peine was the last to give testimony, and could be seen crying for most of the hearing, and nodding in agreement with the victim’s family members and their statements.

“I wanted nothing more than to tell all of you how sorry I am,” she said through intense sobbing. “There's not a moment in any day or night that I am not grieving Kraig. I never intended for any of this pain and I'm so, so sorry.”

Following testimony, Buchanan sentenced Peine to a five-year unified sentence, four of which will be under supervised probation. She was immediately given into custody at the Bonner County Jail where she will serve a 270-day sentence. She is scheduled to be released on probation on April 1, 2022.