LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — Oh’Ryan Brooks was sentenced after pleading guilty to leaving the scene of a crash that killed 12-year-old Christopher Suarez, who was struck in a marked crosswalk near his school.
Brooks received a sentence of seven to 17 years in prison. Christopher’s mother, Martina, said she was satisfied with the outcome and plans to oppose any parole for Brooks. FOX5’s Victoria Saha sat down with host Tom Durian to discuss the last six months of the case.
Christopher was walking to school for mariachi practice when he was hit inside a marked crosswalk in a school zone. His twin sisters, a year younger, were walking just ahead of him.
READ MORE: Las Vegas man receives sentence in hit-and-run that killed young boy
Case details and plea agreement
Brooks originally faced multiple charges, including DUI, after admitting to smoking marijuana. However, he ultimately pleaded guilty only to duty to stop at the scene of a crash.
Wolfson said the sentence would have been the same regardless of which charge resulted in conviction.
According to an arrest report, Brooks admitted to smoking marijuana after the crash, making it difficult to determine how much was in his system at the time of the collision. District Attorney Steve Wolfson said the marijuana DUI charge would have been difficult to prove at trial.
“Because this was like a marijuana DUI, if this were to go to trial, you could have some jurors who are smokers themselves. There could be some bias in that,” Saha recalls from her conversation with Wolfson.
Courtroom proceedings
During the sentencing hearing, Brooks apologized and said he never intended to kill anyone. His attorney said Brooks had gone through trauma. Brooks also claimed another car hit him, though the arrest report contained no indication of another vehicle being involved.
Martina could be heard crying across the courtroom during Brooks’ statement. Brooks’ family, seated in the courtroom, remained silent.
“He had said sorry in court. And, of course, that apology wasn’t enough for Christopher’s mom,” Saha said. “I heard them crying across the courtroom. I couldn’t get a look at her, but I heard the, like, the silent, the cry.”
Mother’s grief
When Martina arrived at the hospital after the crash, staff handed her Christopher’s book bag, schoolwork and homework stained with blood. Christopher was declared brain dead and remained on life support until he was officially taken off the machines.
“When you lose someone in your life, that’s the worst day of your life,” Saha said. “And so I could resonate with that, even though different circumstances, but I just had to be there.”
Christopher was described by his mother as a perfectionist.
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