Teen Lamborghini driver sentenced to nine months in juvenile camp for killing woman in crash
The teen was racing at speeds of more than 100mph when he crashed
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An LA teenager has been sentenced to several months in a juvenile camp for slamming his father’s Lamborghini into a woman’s car earlier this year. The woman, Monique Munoz, died at the scene.
The son of real-estate tycoon James Khuri was 17 at the time of the accident. He was speeding at more than 100mph when he crashed into Ms Munoz’s car, which was almost split in two in the fatal wreck, reported NBC Los Angeles.
Ahead of the sentencing, the teenager’s defense attorney asked for him to be sentenced to probation, which Munoz’s family strongly objected to, pushing instead for the maximum penalty to be handed to him.
“House arrest in a mansion is not punishment,” Cynthia Crespin, Ms Munoz’s cousin, said in court, adding: “He took an innocent life in a careless and senseless way.”
The teen pleaded guilty to vehicular manslaughter in April, and the judge’s sentence of seven to nine months in a juvenile camp was the highest possible penalty in Juvenile Court.
His punishment still drew protests from the victim’s family, who said the defendant was given soft treatment and said he should have been tried as an adult.
“I call it the lollipop sentence and going to Camp Snoopy,” said Ms Munoz’s uncle, Richard Cartier.
LA’s Juvenile Probation Camps are detention centres for those aged between 10 and 21, which provide education, counseling and other services while the youths are being held. Family visits are allowed.
James Khuri, a multimillionaire who owns several real estate firms and an e-commerce business, apologised to the Munoz family on Instagram, and the identity of his son is publicly known, reported the LA Times.
The fatal incident was not the first time Khuri’s son had driven recklessly – he had previously had his driver’s license suspended for driving at excessive speeds in Beverly Hills.
Los Angeles police officials also said in court that the teen had posted on social media about “drifting” and other street racing in the weeks leading up to the fatal crash.
Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Sabina Helton said in her ruling that there had been a “consistent lack of accountability” in the teenager’s life and questioned whether his parents were able to provide the discipline he needed.
"[The driver] needs to be held accountable the same as any other kid who appears in this court,” she said.
In court, the teen, now 18, addressed the Munoz family, saying: “I realize my suffering does not even come close to what you have gone through,” adding: “I was a spoiled, reckless 17-year-old who thought I was invincible.”