The 17-year-old son of a wealthy Los Angeles businessman pleaded guilty to vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence Friday, more than two months after the Lamborghini SUV he was speeding in crashed into and killed 32-year-old Monique Munoz.
The teen, who Fox News is not naming because he is a minor, was driving 106 mph at the point of impact, a spokesperson for the LA County district attorney’s office told Fox News.
He was placed on house arrest and is due back in court on June 30.
Prosecutors said that the teen had been cited twice for speeding last fall, including one October infraction when he was stopped for going 72 mph on city streets, according to the Los Angeles Times.
A Lamborghini SUV being driven by a 17-year-old crashed into Monique Munoz in February.
(LAPD West Traffic Division)
Monique Munoz was driving a Lexus when a Lamborghini crashed into her and killed her.
(LAPD West Traffic Division)
Monique Munoz’s mother, Carol Cardona, told Fox News that Friday was “overwhelming for me and my family.”
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Munoz’s uncle, Richard Cartier, told the Los Angeles Times that he wants to see the teen face prison time.
“I want his father to feel his son gone for years, because Monique is gone for life,” Cartier told the newspaper.
32-year-old Monique Munoz was killed in west Los Angeles when a speeding Lamborghini crashed into her.
(GoFundMe)
The teen’s father, James Khuri, is described by Forbes as a “serial entrepreneur” who “owns four real estate companies and five manufacturing and distribution companies.”
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Khuri has a flashy brand on social media, where he posts pictures of luxury sports cars to his more than 1.3 million Instagram followers. He posted an apology to the Munoz family on March 10.
“Knowing that this will never do justice for the family of Monique Munoz, I want to apologize to the Munoz family for the tragic loss of their daughter,” Khuri wrote a few weeks after the crash. “I realize none of my words or actions will be able to bring back your daughter. Still, I want to offer my support in any way you will allow me to. My family and I pray for the Munoz family.”
Munoz’s family has accused authorities in Los Angeles of treating the teenager differently because he comes from a wealthy family. Munoz’s mother told Fox News in early March that she thought the teen was “being protected given [the] status of his dad.”
Friends, family, and supporters gathered outside the courthouse during Friday’s hearing, some of them pushing for the teen to be tried as an adult.
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The maximum sentence for vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence in California is six years.
The teen’s attorney, Mark Werksman, told the LA Times that his client will likely get anything from probation to nine months in a juvenile facility.
“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,” Werksman told the newspaper.