The teen who plead guilty to gross vehicular manslaughter charges for his role in a high-speed crash that killed two of his friends will be assigned to a juvenile delinquent camp for six months.
In addition, the 16-year-old Santana High School junior will be on probation and his license will be suspended for one year.
It is NBC 7 San Diego's policy not to identify individuals charged as minors in the juvenile court system.
Two cars were traveling more than 100 mph on State Route 52 on April 4 when one car lost control near Convoy Street and flipped.
Jayli Campbell and Anthony Foreman were ejected from the car driven by their friend, a 16-year-old Santana High School junior. Both were killed following the incident.
The defendant's girlfriend, 16-year-old Charlotte McQuillen, was hospitalized with serious injuries she suffered in the crash. Charlotte is currently undergoing extension recovery, but was able to appear in court on Monday.
The defendant, who initially claimed the accelerator stuck moments before the crash, will be assigned to Camp Barrett for the rest of the year.
The defendant was officially assigned one year, but since he gets credit for time served in juvenile hall, he will spend six months at Camp Barrett.
“There is no sentence that anyone can impose and try to hold a minor accountable for this obviously very tragic situation. I feel for it,” said the prosecutor on Monday. “We basically go along with the facts, apply the law, do the best we can under the system.”
The maximum assignment he could have received was 7 years, four months.
The prosecutor said that next level of punishment would have been inappropriate for the defendant, as he would have been sent to the California Youth Authority where the individuals are very criminally sophisticated and have violent pasts.
The 16-year-old defendant had only recently acquired his license and had received multiple speeding tickets prior to the incident.
Victim Jayli Campbell’s mother and father said they believe this is a light punishment for the teen.
“He’s been anxiously awaiting,“ said the Campbell’s attorney Fred Cohen. “He holds no grudges. He’s upset for the loss of his son.”
Campbell’s father said the teen’s mother and father should have been more careful.
"It starts with the parents. Giving the keys to the kids,” Robert Campbell said. “You give your kids keys. Don’t think they’re not going to race, drink, smoke weed, party with kids in the car. No matter how we look at it, it’s the parents."
The judge spoke to the 16-year-old before leaving court on Monday afternoon and said he hopes the defendant can turn his life around, not just for himself but also for the memory of the two teens who were killed.
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