MONTGOMERY COUNTY — A mother whose son died in a car crash just a few weeks before his high school graduation has concerns about the justice system.
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As reported on News Center 7 at 6:00, 19-year-old Chris Gwynne was killed in a crash at the intersection of Cambridge Avenue and Salem Avenue around 1:30 a.m. on April 30, 2023.
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Crystal Heflin says deaths that happen because of vehicle crashes are treated much differently than deaths involving guns or knives.
He was supposed to ride with a cousin to pre-graduation parties, but ended up riding in a car filled with six young people.
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Gwynne said the 18-year-old woman driving the car was charged with aggravated vehicular homicide even after a plea deal, but was sentenced to just 30 days in jail.
“Very upsetting, it’s like was his life worth anything to you? To give somebody 30 days,” she said.
Helfin says court testimony showed the driver lost control and crashed into a pole while driving 70 mph in a 35-mph zone.
“I was told they were racing and switching in and out of lanes in front of each other,” Heflin says.
She added that she never made it to the crash site and was told to go to the hospital, but her son never made it there.
She had to identify him by his tattoos over the phone.
“My kid is dead, you know, I can’t tell you what tattoo he has on his arm right now, I can’t,” Heflin says.
Heflin had to pick up Chris’ diploma a few weeks after the crash.
She says the now 20-year-old woman, Kelsey Minor, originally faced four charges, but the plea deal dropped that to one conviction of aggravated vehicular homicide.
The judge could’ve given Minor three years in prison, but she received 30 days in jail.
Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas records indicate that her license is suspended for three years, and she will be on probation for five years after being released.
She is currently serving her sentence at the Montgomery County Jail.
“So, it’s like no responsibility, like she’s not made to actually face the fact that you caused someone to lose their life,” Heflin says.
Heflin told News Center 7 she is planning to reach out to state lawmakers who set sentencing guidelines for crimes.
She says her studies show murder convictions are 15 years to life, and manslaughter convictions are 3 to 11 years.
However, vehicular manslaughter and homicide can range from a misdemeanor to a first-degree felony, so the punishment is very dependent on circumstances.
News Center 7 will continue to follow this story.
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