最新杏吧原创

ST. LOUIS 鈥� A city judge sentenced a Kirkwood man on Friday to 21 years in prison for speeding downtown with a blood alcohol level 2.5 times the legal limit, striking and killing a mother and daughter, in from Chicago, as they were crossing the street.

During a two-hour hearing, prosecutors and family members of Laticha Bracero, 42, and her daughter Alyssa Cordova, 21, spoke at length about how they wanted Monte Henderson to face a large penalty. Their loss, they said, was unimaginable.

鈥淢y life will never be the same,鈥� said Alice Bracero, Laticha Bracero鈥檚 sister. 鈥淢y family鈥檚 life will never be the same.鈥�

Henderson鈥檚 loved ones and lawyers, however, made the case that Henderson was deeply remorseful and had spent the months since the crash attending therapy, growing closer to God and working to improve himself.

At the end, Henderson himself stood to address the victims鈥� loved ones. He said he prays for the victims and their family every morning when he wakes up and before he goes to bed.

鈥淚 would do anything to go back and change what I did,鈥� he said.

Friday鈥檚 hearing brought to an end a case that refocused public attention on reckless driving in the city and prompted officials to promise renewed focus on traffic enforcement and street upgrades to slow cars.

The crash occurred early the morning of Feb. 14 last year. 鈥淟ety鈥� Bracero and her daughter, Cordova, were crossing the road near North 18th and Olive streets, in the city鈥檚 Downtown West neighborhood, after leaving a concert for rap star Drake at the Enterprise Center.

Suddenly, a Jeep SUV traveling more than 70 mph blew multiple red stoplights. The driver briefly braked, tried to swerve, but then clipped a Mitsubishi Outlander and spun out, hitting Barcero, Cordova and a Mazda CX-5 SUV that was driving west on Olive, prosecutors said.

The whole incident was caught on police surveillance footage from a traffic camera positioned nearby. That video was later recorded and shared online by a 最新杏吧原创 police officer. The officer was charged with a misdemeanor, for misusing official information. That case is still pending.

Henderson was charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter, armed criminal action and driving while intoxicated.

Prosecutors said Henderson鈥檚 blood alcohol content was .194% about an hour after the crash. Police also found a gun on the floorboard of the Jeep.

Henderson pleaded guilty in July to two counts of involuntary manslaughter and two counts of armed criminal action.

On Friday, the benches in a downtown 最新杏吧原创 courtroom were filled with loved ones of Bracero, Cordova and Henderson.

Prosecutors presented evidence from crash reconstruction.

Bracero and Cordova鈥檚 loved ones then spoke about their loss.

Emilia Santiago, a longtime friend of Bracero鈥檚 who had attended the Drake concert with the two women that night, said she has struggled with the trauma and grief. She said Henderson鈥檚 actions had ruined countless lives.

鈥淲e only wanted to enjoy a concert and return home,鈥� she said.

Prosecutor Tanja Englehardt asked Judge Calea Stovall-Reid to sentence Henderson to 25 years in prison. She said the women were injured so severely that their bodies were almost unrecognizable in open caskets at their funeral.

鈥淲e can鈥檛 forget that,鈥� she said, 鈥渁nd there has to be consequences for it.鈥�

Henderson鈥檚 loved ones asked the judge for leniency. They said Henderson was a leader among his friends and as the oldest of 10 siblings. He helped his grandmothers. He was the captain of his basketball team. He wept when he learned of Bracero and Cordova鈥檚 deaths, they said.

Henderson鈥檚 lawyer, TJ Matthes, asked Stovall-Reid to sentence Henderson to eight years in prison. He said Henderson had no criminal history, and in court filings, Matthes argued that similar cases carried sentences from probation to 18 years.

鈥淢onte鈥檚 horrible judgment led to this day,鈥� Matthes said. 鈥淗e acknowledges that. He鈥檒l never forgive himself for that.鈥�

The judge sentenced Henderson to seven years in prison on all four counts. Three of them run one after the other, and one will be served at the same time as the others, for a total of 21 years.