An 19-year-old man who pleaded guilty to a racing in a car crash that killed two of his friends on state Route 52 received his sentence on Wednesday.
Michael Johnson will spend 180 days in sheriff's custody and three years on probation. Last month, he changed his plea from “not guilty” to “guilty” with the district attorney’s office.
The two drivers were racing on the Kearny Mesa highway in April at speeds over 100 miles per hour, prosecutors said.
Two students were killed when one of the cars flipped over: Jayli Campbell, 16, and 18-year-old Anthony Foreman, both high school students in Santee.
Johnson spoke in court, saying he is remorseful and hopes this sentencing can bring closure to the families affected.
"I know I will never be the same but I hope now everyday we can begin to heal but never forget," he said.
Anthony Foreman's father and Jayli Campbell's mother also spoke in the courtroom, saying they feel hurt by the loss of their son but hope Johnson will have a good future.
"My family is experiencing intense loss. Loss that is irreplaceable," said Foreman's father. "We will move on. We will be scarred. We will never be the same the night you raced so intensely that my son died as a result," the father of Anthony Foreman said.
Campbell's father has hired a civil attorney, who said they plan to sue Johnson, the parents of the minor charged and California for knowing about SR-52's conditions.
The other teenage driver of the car that flipped pleaded guilty to gross vehicular manslaughter in Juvenile court in July. He had been cited previously for driving 90 mph on another local highway and was sent to juvenile camp for his punishment. It is NBC 7's policy not to identify minors charged with a crime.
Charlotte McQuillen, 15, was in the front seat of that car. She was in a coma for five days following the crash and sustained some memory loss.
Johnson was the driver of the other car and was arrested immediately after the crash.
