The 15-year-old accused of crashing a stolen car into several other vehicles, killing a mother-of-three and injuring six others while fleeing police in Oakland Park over the summer, was laughing in court Monday.
It prompted a startled Broward Judge Stacy Ross to interrupt the proceedings to ask, “Are you seriously laughing right now?”
The handcuffed teenager doubled over in the jury box trying to stifle his laughter with his masked face in his hands.
Some of his family was sitting in the back of the courtroom whispering for him to stop the disrespectful behavior.
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The judge told the bailiff to remove the teen from the courtroom. His next court date is scheduled for Oct. 31.
He is currently charged as a juvenile, but Broward assistant state attorney Ross Weiner indicated the teen may be charged as an adult before his next court appearance.
The 15-year-old is charged in the collision that killed Maria Tellez-Valderrabano on Aug. 28 in Oakland Park.
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He and his 14-year-old passenger were seen on surveillance video running from the scene. They were later arrested.
The 14-year-old had a short court appearance Monday afternoon, but Hurricane Ian interrupted preparations for the hearing so he'll be back Oct. 26.
Several members of the victim’s family were in court for both hearings. Sister Emily Feria said they are trying to be patient with the legal process.
“The whole family wants to know what happened because they took a precious life,” she said.
Several members of the 15-year-old’s family were in court for the morning hearing. They did not want to comment, but his father expressed sadness and remorse for the victim’s family.
Feria said she hoped both teenagers get the maximum penalty including up to 30 years for the 15-year-old if he is charged as an adult and up to three years for the 14-year-old who is facing lesser charges as a juvenile.
“I’m happy they are still behind bars because there are other families on the road too,” she said. “That’s the only way they won’t be doing what they [did] when they were out.”
The teenagers are not being named in this story because they are juveniles.
