Family Of CU Student Annika Williams Wants Stricter Penalties For Street Racers
JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4) - A Jefferson County judge set a date for a preliminary hearing for the two men charged in the death of a 21-year-old University of Colorado student in Westminster. Police say one of them struck her vehicle while allegedly street racing.
On Nov. 14, Shimpson Huynh and Adrian Lau were arrested and charged with vehicular homicide and reckless driving. Huynh's vehicle struck the passenger side of Annika Williams' car killing her, and her dog. Williams was attempting to make a left-hand turn onto 105th Avenue from Sheridan Boulevard when she was struck. Bystanders on scene attempting to help told police she never took a breath or regained consciousness.
According to court documents, witnesses say Lau and Hyunh passed them doing around 100 mph. Lau admitted to police he was driving around 80 mph at one point along Sheridan Boulevard. When asked about the racing, the arrest affidavit says Lau admitted to racing and stated it was "a little jab here and there, nothing crazy."
In court on Monday, the parents of Williams appeared -- supported by her best friend and boyfriend, who told CBS4 that not only did they want justice, but they also want change in the way street racing is policed.
"Had they been drunk, there would've been a stricter sentence, but somebody's that's drunk isn't really 100% conscious of what they're doing when they get behind the wheel, that's part of being under the influence of alcohol. These two knew exactly what they were doing. The defendant that hit her had his car modified for street racing, so they knew exactly what they were doing," said Heather Williams, Annika's mother.
According to the arrest affidavit while Huynh did not admit to racing, he did tell police that he had a "piggyback" on his Infinity Q50, which affects the fuel and boost of the engine.
Westminster police have participated in a statewide task force to combat street racing, but for the Williams family it's not enough.
"Giving somebody a citation? What's that going to do?" asked Heather. "It's not stopping what's happening. There needs to be more action."
Annika's mother talked about stricter penalties and mandatory jail time for vehicular homicide. Annika's boyfriend told CBS4 he feels the same.
"Street racing, as fun as it is to go fast, you need to be held accountable for your actions," said Andre Archuleta. "Every action you take has a consequence, good or bad, and you know people need to think through their heads before they do something so selfish."
The preliminary hearing has been set for Dec. 24.