[ksfrogman]

Full Story Here

Excerpts:

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. - An 18-year-old charged with killing two members of the Tongan royal family and their driver in a high-speed crash pleaded not guilty Friday to vehicular manslaughter.

...

Delgado, who received her driver’s license in February, was charged with killing Prince Tu’ipelehake, 56, and Princess Kaimana, 46, in the Wednesday night crash on Highway 101 in Menlo Park, about 30 miles south of San Francisco.

...

Vinisia Hefa, 36, who was driving the red Ford Explorer carrying the prince and princess, also was killed, authorities said.

If convicted, Delgado faces up to eight years in prison on the manslaughter counts, a prosecutor said.

Delgado was driving her Ford Mustang as fast as 100 mph while racing another vehicle when she hit the driver’s side of the sport utility vehicle, causing it to swerve across several lanes and roll onto its roof, said California Highway Patrol Officer Ricky Franklin. Delgado was not injured, and the vehicle she was racing was not found.

“My client is very sorry she was involved in this,” said defense attorney Randy Moore, who described Delgado as a hardworking honors student and bank teller. “It remains to be determined whether she bears any criminal responsibility for what took place.”


I totalled my Supra years ago when someone unexpectedly pulled out in front of me while I was annihilating a pseudo-supercharged Cutlass Supreme. Fortunately, no one was hurt, but I took 4 other cars and two trucks with me (they were parked in front of a dealership).

If you must race, please be mindful of your surroundings.

[Nikki]

I saw a link to her myspace somewhere else but then she changed it to private and removed her photo. She was a somewhat ghetto looking girl, maybe hispanic i don't remember, if anyone cares to know lol.

[MB330]

If convicted, Delgado faces up to eight years in prison
3 person lost their life - and only she get is 8 yers. F@#$% - this is wrong!!!!!

[Gearcraft]

another teen-age with a fast car. feel sorry for the victims.

[arcrox]

Live rear axles and teenage stupidity for the lose

[shimshimhada]

8 years...damn, if someone really wants to off someone badly, they can just pretend to be racing, then run that person's car off the road.

[FeeBear]

Originally Posted by shimshimhada

8 years...damn, if someone really wants to off someone badly, they can just pretend to be racing, then run that person's car off the road.

It is the cheap payment for killing someone. You know you can get more guaranteed time for insider trading than murder nowadays.

Fee

[Squawks]

Manslaughter and murder are completely disparate. 8 years for manslaughter sounds about right.

[FeeBear]

Originally Posted by Squawks

Manslaughter and murder are completely disparate. 8 years for manslaughter sounds about right.

You can split hairs all you want. The law make a distinction between intentional killing and accidentally killing a person. Unfortunately the victim is dead either way.

Fee

[Squawks]

Originally Posted by FeeBear

You can split hairs all you want. The law make a distinction between intentional killing and accidentally killing a person.

You just spoke against yourself. "Intentionally" and "accidentally" - that's not considered "splitting hairs".

I do find it outrageous that the girl is claiming innocence in the charge against her for manslaughter. That's absolutely ridiculous - what's her excuse - a mechanical failure in her car? Preposterous.

[FeeBear]

Originally Posted by Squawks

You just spoke against yourself. "Intentionally" and "accidentally" - that's not considered "splitting hairs".

I do find it outrageous that the girl is claiming innocence in the charge against her for manslaughter. That's absolutely ridiculous - what's her excuse - a mechanical failure in her car? Preposterous.

Nah Squawk, I wasn't. Split Hairs refers to the fact that the victim or victims are still dead. I did acknowledge the difference (Manslaughter and murder) in how the law reads but just don't think it right. I personally don't believe you should be punished differently between recklessness and let say pulling the trigger in a gun.

What else did you expect her to do? How often do people just accept their punishment without a fight?

Fee

[PaPaGz]

sometimes if one chooses to plead guilty, he/she will be let off with a lighter sentence

[ksfrogman]

Regardless of what happens to the girl, the victims lives cannot be brought back. I doubt the length of her sentence will deter future mishaps from happening.

Even if she gets "only" 8 years, she'll have a criminal record, be unable to attend college (she was an honors student) when her friends do, and it would be hard to imagine any college accepting someone with involuntary manslaughter on ones record. Plus she will still live with the torment of knowing what she did for the rest of her life.

[shragon]

honor student? from the photo, she didn't look like the typical honor student, but i guess anything is possible.

i passed by the accident the night it happened going the opposite direction. it was pretty bad. it was not until a day or two later they announced 2 out of the 3 dead were tongan royalty.

there's a pretty good size memorial at the site of the accident which causes a jam up by rubberneckers.

anyway, pretty sad story.

[noflash]

Definately a sad story, but what were the King and Queen doing in a Ford Explorer?

Also, manslaughter and murder should be kept separate, but eight years does sound a bit low for this idiocy.

[ksfrogman]

Took me awhile to find her photo, but it's here:



http://www.matangitonga.to/article/t...do080706.shtml

[shragon]

Originally Posted by noflash

Definately a sad story, but what were the King and Queen doing in a Ford Explorer?

Also, manslaughter and murder should be kept separate, but eight years does sound a bit low for this idiocy.

was a prince and a princess. have no idea why they don't travel a little better, maybe they want to be more low key? from what i heard, they were over here in the bay area a lot because the bay area has a large tongan population. the tongan king has a mansion in hillsborough, which is also in the bay area.

[ksfrogman]

What's even sadder is that I have a ford explorer and have had two mustangs. I saw a photo of that particular explorer flipped over on its top. it completely collapsed--which undoubtedly is why it lead to the demise of its occupants.

I just received "The BMW Experience" DVD in the mail yesterday and was watching how BMW tested the E90 with off center front impact, side impact and rollover tests. It was very impressive, and makes me wonder if they would have survived in an E90. I'm surprised the girl made it out alive.

[magmd]

Its a sad story.

She just got her license 5 months ago?? Man...young unexperienced drivers in fast cars =>>>>> bad news.

[shragon]

yea, the explorer was in pretty bad shape. the mustang however only had real damage to the right side.



btw... they're still looking for a black escalade on spinners that she was racing.