A Torrey Pines High school student who was behind the wheel of a car when it crashed, killing a fellow student, learned his fate Thursday.
A juvenile-court judge ruled Thursday that the North County teen -- whose identity is not being revealed because he is a minor -- will spend at least 10 months in a juvenile detention camp for the drunk driving crash on Oct. 4 in Rancho Santa Fe that killed his Alex Capozza, his 17-year-old friend. In all five teens were in the Mazda when it rolled over. Another teen, Jaime Arnold, was also injured in the wreck. He, too, was in court on Thursday.
During Thursday's hearing, Capozza's family urged the judge to impose a harsh sentence on the teen, who pleaded guilty in November to one count of felony gross vehicular manslaughter with two special allegations of great bodily injury. In return for the teen's plea, the prosecution dropped other charges, including felony DUI.
Judge George "Woody" Clarke, however, sentenced the teen to 547 days in juvenile camp at Camp Barrett, where the teen could receive counseling for substance abuse. The teen will serve only 283 days for good behavior, though. The teen had faced a maximum of 13 years in custody.
Prosecutor said Thursday in court that the teen drank eight or nine beers on the night of the collision. She also said he was driving like a "maniac."
The defense attorney had asked for a sentence of home confinement.
