Mother of Loyola High School student killed in DUI crash calls for tougher laws
Manhattan Beach resident Jennifer Levi joined city, county, and state leaders on Monday to call for tougher California DUI laws after her 18-year-old son, Braun Levi, was killed by an alleged drunk driver earlier this year.
"California's current DUI laws are broken and weak and fail to protect families like ours, and it's devastating," Levi said at Monday's news conference.
Braun, a Loyola High School tennis star, was struck and killed while walking along Sepulveda Boulevard in Manhattan Beach. It was May 4, and he was weeks away from his high school graduation.
The driver, Jenia Resha Belt, 33, faces one count of murder, one count of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, and a misdemeanor count for driving on a suspended or revoked license, according to the LA County District Attorney's Office.
This is not the first time she has faced drunk driving charges. In 2023, prosecutors filed drunk driving and hit-and-run charges against Belt, according to court records. The California Department of Motor Vehicles said authorities suspended her driving license in January 2024.
"I'm here sharing the statement today because the life of our beautiful 18-year-old son, Braun Levi, brutally and senselessly ended in a preventable tragedy," Jennifer Levi said while supporting a new bill to restructure California DUI sentencing and punishment.
"My plea is to Gov. Gavin Newsom and California lawmakers. This is not a political issue, this is a human issue."
Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman and Sen. Bob Archuleta echoed Levi's pleas for change. "California, and its laws in dealing with drunk and drug driving, are some of the weakest in the nation," Hochman said.
He proposed that the DMV have ignition interlock devices installed on vehicles after the first DUI offense, acting as a breathalyzer that prevents the car from starting if the driver blows a .08 blood alcohol level, or higher.
"Right now in California, drunk vehicular manslaughter is not a violent felony. But if you have a DUI that results in someone getting great bodily injury, that is a violent felony," Hochman said. "We absolutely need to change that."
Sen. Archuleta, who lost his granddaughter last year to a drunk driving vehicle accident, said he plans to start working on a new DUI bill when Congress is back in session on January 5, 2026.
"Elected officials and Gov. Newsom, when this reaches your desk, I implore you to act," Levi said. "Nothing will ever bring back Braun. We love him so deeply, and his death haunts my every breath, my every day."
If convicted as charged, Belt faces up to 15 years to life in prison.
In 2018, Los Angeles area resident and former mixed martial arts fighter Marcus Kowal advocated stricter DUI laws after his 15-month-old son was struck and killed by a drunk driver.
Kowal and his wife were pushing for lawmakers to drop the legal Blood Alcohol Content level for driving in California from .08 to .05. The BAC limit in California remains at .08 for drivers 21 and over.
