Teens who threw sandbag from overpass sentenced in car passenger's death
TOLEDO, Ohio - Four teens charged with throwing a sandbag from a Toledo overpass and causing the death of a car passenger have been sentenced to time in a youth treatment facility, reports CBS affiliate WTOL. Three of the teens were 14 at the time of the incident, and the fourth was 13, according to the station.
The four teens, whose names are being withheld, could return to their homes within months if they complete the intensive program successfully, the station reports.
The four were charged last December after a sandbag they threw from an I-75 overpass crashed through the windshield of a vehicle, killing 22-year-old Marquise Byrd. Byrd's friend, who was behind the wheel, was frantic as she called for help on the side of the freeway.
According to WTOL reporters, the Byrd family was visibly angry and in tears as the sentence was pronounced Friday by a juvenile judge.
Lillian Diallo, attorney for the Byrd family, told CNN reporters that she was disappointed in the "extremely light" sentence.
"You can't tell me at 13 you didn't know it was wrong to throw things on the freeway," she told the station.
According to Ohio state law, children aged 14 may be tried as adults, but judicial discretion is allowed in cases where the defendant is under 16.
Autopsy reports showed that Byrd suffered blunt-force trauma to the head and neck. He died after being transported to a hospital.
According to Toledo police, the driver was the one who reported the incident. Officers said they saw the teenagers leaving the area after the crash.
The teen accused of actually throwing the fatal sandbag was charged with murder and felonious assault, while the other three were charged with involuntary manslaughter and vehicular vandalism, WTOL reports. In addition to being remanded to the juvenile facility, the teens were also given 4-year suspended sentences and ordered to perform 30 hours of community service each.
The arrests come nearly two months after a similar incident near Flint, Michigan. Five teens there are facing charges of second degree murder after throwing rocks off an overpass, hitting a vehicle and killing 32-year-old Kenneth White.
