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Teenager sentenced in Woodland fire accident in 2023 with two dead

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A teenager who killed two people in a crash involving a stolen Honda Pilot and was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in 2023 has been sentenced to a guardianship in the Yolo County juvenile detention center until he turns 19 in 2029. The driver was 13 when he stole a family member’s car and led police on a half-mile chase that ended with a crash involving two other vehicles on College and Court streets on April 8. Tina Vital, 43, and her 4-year-old granddaughter Adalina died in the crash and several other people were injured. “We are thankful he was not just released with a slap on the wrist. While this may be the conclusion of the legal process, we are still sad,” said Elizabeth Topete, Adalina’s grandmother. The teen has been in custody since the crash while the court decided how to proceed. Due to a 2019 California law, juveniles under the age of 16 cannot be tried as adults in the state. Instead, the teen was subjected to a jury trial, where a judge decides whether a juvenile offender did what he is accused of. There is no jury trial in this type of case.On April 15, a judge ruled that the teen was not guilty of murder, but of involuntary manslaughter.Sentencing hearings were held on May 23 and 24.Prosecutors asked the judge to consider the maximum sentence of a guardianship until age 21, while the criminal defense wanted to recommend two years of probation or house arrest.Before sentencing, the judge went over the events that unfolded leading up to the accident and modified motions from both the prosecution and defense.Criminal attorney Martina Avalos told KCRA 3 that the teen’s family is devastated and confused. “I think a lot of parents can relate to thinking their child is doing really well in school and they don’t see any signs of bad behavior and they’re completely blindsided when they sneak out at night or do something that’s against the rules and that they didn’t recognize in their character,” Avalos said. The teen’s sentencing will be followed by probation. The judge also ordered him to pay thousands of dollars to family members of the victims and other victims of the crash. The next hearing is a restitution review, set for June 12. For more coverage of California’s top news stories, click here | Download our app.

WOODLAND, California —

A teenager who killed two people in a crash involving a stolen Honda Pilot in 2023 and was convicted of involuntary manslaughter has been sentenced to a guardianship in the Yolo County Juvenile Detention Center until he turns 19 in 2029.

The driver was 13 years old when he stole a family member’s car and engaged police on a half-mile chase that ended in a crash with two other vehicles at the corner of College and Court streets on April 8.

43-year-old Tina Vital and her four-year-old granddaughter Adalina died in the accident, and numerous other people were injured.

“We are grateful that he was not released with a slap on the wrist. Even though the legal process may be over, we are still grieving,” said Elizabeth Topete, Adalina’s grandmother.

The teenager has been in custody since the accident while the court decides on the next steps.

Due to a 2019 California law, juveniles under the age of 16 cannot be tried as adults in the state.

Instead, the teenager was subjected to a trial, in which a judge decides whether a juvenile offender committed the crime he is accused of. There is no jury trial in this type of trial.

On April 15, a judge ruled that the teenager was not guilty of murder, but of involuntary manslaughter.

Sentencing hearings for the teenager were held on May 23 and 24.

The prosecution asked the judge to consider guardianship until age 21 as a maximum sentence, while the defense asked for a recommendation of two years’ probation or house arrest.

Before handing down the verdict, the judge reviewed the events that led to the accident and modified the motions of both the prosecution and the defense.

Criminal attorney Martina Avalos told KCRA 3 the teen’s family is devastated and confused.

“I think a lot of parents can relate to thinking their child is doing really well in school and not seeing any signs of bad behavior. And then they’re totally taken aback when they sneak out at night or do something that’s against the rules and that they didn’t recognize in their character,” Avalos said.

Following the teenager’s conviction, he will receive a suspended sentence.

The judge also ordered him to pay several thousand dollars in compensation to the victims’ families and other victims of the accident.

The next hearing to review the refund is scheduled for June 12.

You can find more reports on the most important topics from California here | Download our app.

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