Brendan Khuri, 17, admits to vehicular manslaughter, here's how many years he could spend in prison
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: James Khuri's 17-year-old son Brendan Khuri has admitted he was behind the vehicle causing the fatal car crash near Olympic Boulevard and Overland Avenue in Los Angeles. Brendan admitted to driving the Lamborghini sports utility vehicle that crashed into 32-year-old Monique Munoz's car resulting in her death.
The teenager admitted to one count of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence in Inglewood Juvenile Court and has been ordered to continue being confined to his home until the next court date on June 30. The sentencing will likely take place in August according to his defense attorney Mark Werksman.
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How many years will Brendan Khuri spend in custody?
The teenager could face a range of outcomes from probation to up to nine months in juvenile camp, according to Los Angeles Times. Even if tried as an adult, the maximum penalty for vehicular manslaughter under California law is six years in custody. However, a reduction in the years he could spend behind bars cannot be ruled out given the teen’s lack of a criminal record and young age.
In court, prosecutors said the teen had been “racing” with a female friend and swerving in and out of traffic before the fatal wreck. The Lamborghini was traveling at 106 miles per hour when it struck Munoz, prosecutors said. Police said the force of the crash nearly split Munoz’s vehicle in half. Brendan was also hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries. However, Werksman denied in court that his client was "racing" and said Brendan was extremely remorseful and extended his apologies to Munoz's family.
The teenager “takes full responsibility for his actions and he’s devastated by this tragedy,” Werksman said after the hearing. “He is extremely remorseful and has admitted the juvenile petition in order to demonstrate his remorse and his willingness to accept the consequences of his actions," he added.
'I want his father to feel his son gone for years'
Munoz's uncle, Richard Cartier, spoke to the outlet outside the courthouse. While he sees the recent development as a "small victory", but he admitted that the family won't feel justice is served until the teenager is sentenced to prison. “I want his father to feel his son gone for years, because Monique is gone for life,” Cartier said.
Munoz’s friends and family had shown up outside the court staging a demonstration and held signs that suggested the teen should be tried as an adult or that his father should be held criminally responsible as well. Chants of “Justice for Monique!” had filled the courtroom during the hearing. According to the state prison system, offenders in juvenile court do not face incarceration. While some of Munoz's relatives have called for the case to be tried in adult court, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón has barred prosecutors from trying teens as adults.
“A couple decades ago, I felt that if you committed an adult crime, you should pay adult consequences,” Gascón said to Imprint News in August 2020. “I don’t believe that anymore. I would hope that we would actually get to a point where we outlaw the practice entirely," Gascón added. He said that his decision about not sending youth to the adult legal system represents "evolution" in his thinking and an increased understanding of science revealing that a person’s brain doesn’t fully develop until age 25.