A teen who pled guilty to killing three women from the same family in a 2024 car crash in Hialeah was sentenced to 15 years in prison Tuesday.
Maykoll Santiesteban, 16, pled guilty to charges of vehicular homicide back in February. He was just 15 at the time of the crash but was charged as an adult.
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WATCH HEREThe sentencing hearing briefly got underway Tuesday morning before it had to be moved to a different courtroom to accommodate all those attending.
It was an emotional hearing as the teen's family members spoke through tears to ask a judge for mercy, while the victims' family members spoke of their unimaginable loss.
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"This is about being responsible, taking responsibility, you have a choice to make every single day, you know what's right from wrong. It's important you choose the right path," victim family member Jocelyn Amanda Rivera said.
Santiesteban and his defense were hoping for the judge to give a lenient sentence, with attorneys saying he's a child with a brain not fully developed. Prosecutors said Santiesteban was not a little kid and should be punished for his actions.
The judge ultimately decided to give him 15 years in prison followed by 15 years of probation, much less than the 29-year minimum under sentencing guidelines. He'll receive credit for time served.
According to Hialeah Police, on April 23, 2024, the teen took his family's car out for a ride with friends when he crashed into another car at an intersection in the 400 block of Southeast 5th Street.
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Inside the other car were a mother, her daughter, and an aunt who had gone out to buy food.
Yarina Garcia Hernandez, 39, and her aunt, Gloria Hernandez Molina, who was 71, were killed on the day of the crash.
Garcia Hernandez's mother and Hernandez Molina's sister, 66-year-old Liliana Hernandez Molina, was severely injured and died after spending five months fighting for her life.
Surveillance videos throughout the neighborhood caught the fast-moving SUV zooming by. Police said Santiesteban was going over 80 mph in a 30 mph zone.
Santiesteban was arrested on vehicular homicide and other charges and remained behind bars. He initially pleaded not guilty.
Prosecutors were against a plea deal in the case, so Santiesteban and his attorney decided to plead guilty and leave it in the judge's hands.
