Rouxle Le Roux's lawyer says her client has received death threats and is too afraid to sleep.
The 19-year-old has become a nationally reviled figure since she was sentenced to home detention on Friday for killing a teenage boy in a hit-and-run.
Nathan Kraatskow, 15, died when Le Roux hit him on his bike at an Albany intersection in May. Le Roux, a learner driver, had consumed wine and cannabis earlier that day.
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She was sentenced to 11 months' home detention and 250 hours of community service and is forbidden to drive for two-and-a-half-years.
Many were outraged at what they thought was a disproportionately light sentence, and more than 143,000 people have signed a petition to appeal it which was handed to Parliament on Tuesday.
Le Roux's lawyer Belinda Sellars told NZME that her client has been traumatised by the nationwide backlash.
"On Saturday night she had people outside her house, screaming that they want to kill her. She has been too afraid to sleep. It has been really frightening for her."
Ms Sellars says too many people have become emotionally invested in the case without knowing all the details, such as the fact that Nathan had rode through a red light.
She also told NZME her client has been unfairly painted as privileged, when in fact she had a "very difficult upbringing".
Wellington barrister Graeme Edgeler says despite public sentiment, 11 months' home detention is a harsh sentence for a first-time offender.
"It's a conviction this woman will have forever," he told RadioLIVE.
"Courts don't treat it as terribly different than a prison sentence."
Newshub.
