A teenager pleaded guilty Monday to first-degree vehicular homicide and reckless driving a year after crashing her car in Clayton County, killing her 18-year-old friend.
Jury selection was set to begin in the case of Cristina Pavon-Baker, who prosecutors said was driving 106 mph when she crashed her Mini Cooper into a tree. The impact killed passenger Makayla Penn, her classmate at Community Christian School in Henry County.
But Pavon-Baker, who was 17 at the time of the crash, entered the guilty plea Monday, according to Channel 2 Action News. She was sentenced to 15 years, but with only three years to serve in county jail.
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Pavon-Baker was seriously injured in the crash, which occurred March 26, 2018, on I-75 South at the Mt. Zion Boulevard exit, AJC.com previously reported.
Pavon-Baker failed to navigate the turn on the exit ramp and ended up hitting a tree in a wooded area just off the interstate. The Georgia State Patrol said Penn had to be extricated from the vehicle.
The two students had skipped school and had plans to shop for spring break, Channel 2 reported. A classmate said both were recently accepted to the University of Georgia.
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Prosecutors said Pavon-Baker was on Snapchat before the crash.
In court, the teen apologized and accepted responsibility for the wreck.
Penn’s mother, Melody Penn, questioned some of Pavon-Baker’s decisions after the crash, according to Channel 2. At a bond hearing, the teen had asked to keep her passport so she could go on a cruise, the news station reported. Pavon-Baker also had asked her high school to allow her to participate in graduation.
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