ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Two mothers in St. Pete said they are able to have some closure Monday after losing their children to a crash two years ago.
A judge sentenced Nikia Killens to three years in prison and two years of probation after driving without a license and crashing a vehicle, killing 18-year-old Brice Lewis and 14-year-old Shaariyah Brown.
“He definitely was the light in the room and we will miss him,” Brice Lewis’ mother Alfrieda Lewis said.
Michelle Roberts is the mother of Brown and said it was difficult having to revisit the details surrounding her daughter’s death all over again.
Neither of them said they knew Killens was unlicensed prior to the crash.
Both mothers share that it has been difficult to have to come to the courthouse for hearings. Now, they can focus on their healing.
“I lost my best friend. That was my best friend,” Roberts said of her daughter.
The state presented evidence to the judge, which consisted of pictures and videos from the crash, along with other details like the speed at which Killens was driving.
Court records show she drove about 50 miles per hour in a 30-mile-per-hour zone before crashing into a pole.
As the mothers keep memories of their children alive, they said they hope others watching make note of the lessons drawn from their losses.
They want to keep spreading awareness of the dangers of unlicensed, reckless driving, they said.
“No parent should let their kids drive without a license,” Roberts said. “And if so, they should be held accountable as well as today.”
Alfrieda Lewis added, “The teenagers need to understand to not recklessly drive and carelessly drive, especially when you have other occupants in the vehicle.”
Nikia Killens’ mother Eloda Hogan pleaded guilty last year for allowing an unauthorized person to drive.
Words can’t capture the mothers’ pain. They said grieving will always exist, but through loss, they also found comfort in each other.
“Justice was served today,” Alfrieda Lewis said.
Killens was charged with two felony counts for driving without a license causing death.
Attorneys for Killens made several arguments to the judge including the fact that the state’s max sentencing was too high and brought up factors like Killens being a juvenile at the time of the deadly crash.
In addition, Killens was at low risk to re-offend, her attorneys stated to the judge.
Killens was charged as an adult but the judge sentenced her as a youth offender while acknowledging aggravating factors like speeding past a stop sign right before the deadly crash were reckless.