Judge Sentences LA Teen Who Raced Lamborghini At 106 MPH Before Killing Woman In Crash
“He took an innocent life in a careless and senseless way,” the victim’s cousin told the court.
Amber Nicole via Twitter
Monique Munoz
An 18-year-old boy in Los Angeles was sentenced to seven to nine months in a juvenile camp for killing a driver while racing his father’s Lamborghini SUV over 100 mph in a 35-mph zone.
Last February, the teenager was speeding in rush hour traffic when he slammed into the car of 32-year-old Monique Munoz as she made a left turn into an intersection. The impact nearly split Munoz’s vehicle in two, and she passed away from the injuries she suffered in the wreck.
The data recorder showed the teen’s foot was “completely on the gas pedal 100 percent,” and the SUV reached a speed of 106 mph less than two seconds before hitting Munoz’s vehicle, LAPD Officer Daniel Whitmore testified in court, according to television station KTTV.
In April, the now 18-year-old, whose father is millionaire real estate and e-commerce mogul James Khuri, pleaded guilty in juvenile court to one count of vehicular homicide.
Before his Oct. 21 sentencing, defense attorney Mark Werksman requested the teenager be placed on probation or in a private program. Werksman told the judge medical experts recently diagnosed his client with autism spectrum disorder and he would be “victimized” in an L.A. County juvenile camp, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Cynthia Crespin, a cousin of the woman killed in the crash, countered: “House arrest in a mansion is not punishment. He took an innocent life in a careless and senseless way.”
According to the LA Times, prosecutors arguing the teenager should be placed in a juvenile camp cited investigators testimony that the teen had had his driver’s license suspended for getting caught speeding twice — once in October 2020 and again the following month. He had also, police officers claimed, posted about participating in street racing shortly before killing Munoz.
In an online statement to the Munoz family, the teen’s father addressed the incident. “I want to apologize to the Munoz family for the tragic loss of their daughter. There are no words I can say to alleviate the pain that you are experiencing,” Khuri wrote on Instagram. “And I realize none of my words or actions will be able to bring back your daughter. Still, I want to offer my support in any way you will allow me to. My family and I pray for the Munoz family.”
Carol Cardona, the victim’s mother, however, refused to accept the apology, explaining her daughter and best friend was “dead because of what happened” and that the teenager was “irresponsible.”
In a letter she wrote that was read in court before the judge handed down the seven- to nine-month sentence, Cardona said the teen’s “avoidable and deplorable choice” took away her daughter and best friend. “The only comfort I have is that she knew how loved and adored she was,” Cardona said.
