Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - A Colden teen that was granted youthful offender status in fatal a 2023 crash in Amherst will be incarcerated for 1 1/3-to-4 years. The teen pleaded guilty to the charges against her earlier this year.
Erie County Court Judge Susan Eagan adjudicated the teen as a youthful offender, as she was eligible for that status at the time of the incident.
It was back on Monday, Feb. 20, 2023 at approximately 11:30 p.m. ET when the defendant was driving at a high-rate of speed on John James Audubon Parkway in the Town of Amherst. The driver lost control of the vehicle on the ramp onto Millersport Highway, and recklessly caused the death of her three passengers in the crash.
The victims, 18-year-old Azathiel Pabon, 19-year-old Isabella French, and 20-year-old Dakota Eldridge, were ejected from the vehicle. All three victims were pronounced dead at the scene.
The defendant and a fourth passenger, a 17-year-old male, were taken by ambulance to Erie County Medical Center, where they were both treated for non-life threatening injuries.
The defendant pleaded guilty to three counts of Manslaughter in the Second Degree (Class "C" felonies) and one count of Reckless Driving (unclassified misdemeanor under New York State Vehicle & Traffic Law). The defendant pleaded guilty, as charged, to all four counts in the indictment on April 23 of this year.
At the time of the plea, Judge Eagan committed to sentencing the defendant as a youthful offender under the conditions she remained arrest free, complied with the pre-sentencing investigation, and appeared in court for her sentencing.
During the plea proceeding, prosecutors with the Erie County District Attorney's Office voiced their opposition to youthful offender adjudication, and intended to request that the court impose the maximum term of incarceration at sentencing.
The defendant ended up receiving the maximum sentence as a youthful offender on Monday.
Also as a condition of her sentence, her driver's license was revoked.
