A Florida street racer who took the lives of a 24-year-old mother and her daughter when he hit them at 100mph has been handed a 24-yea...
A Florida street racer who took the lives of a 24-year-old mother and her daughter when he hit them at 100mph has been handed a 24-year prison sentence.
Cameron Herrin, 21, previously pleaded guilty in December to two counts of vehicular homicide prior to his sentencing on Thursday night.
He killed the two people while street racing with his friend down a boulevard in Tampa, Florida, with the Mustang hitting 100mph just before the crash.
He appeared to be wide-eyed when the jail term was read to him, a sentence that will see him spend more than half of his life in prison by the time he's released.
The victim's family wanted Herrin to face the maximum sentence, which would've been 30 years.
Cameron Herrin, 21, pictured at his sentencing, where he was issued a 24-year sentence. He appeared to be wide-eyed when the jail term was read to him, a sentence that will see him spend more than half of his life in prison by the time he's released
Pictured: Jessica Reisinger-Raubenolt and her daughter Lillia, along with husband David
In May 2018, Herrin was responsible for the deaths of Jessica Reisinger-Raubenolt and her daughter, one-year-old Lillia.
Herrin, who was 18 years old at the time, went out with a friend on May 23 to go a gym in the Tampa area.
Herrin was driving a Ford Mustang, while his friend, John Barrineau, was separately driving a gold Nissan.
The two vehicles stopped next to each other at a traffic light that morning, then suddenly sped off alongside one another, appearing to be racing.
Reisinger-Raubenolt, who was pushing her daughter in a stroller, prepared to cross the street along Gandy Boulevard when the two cars approached.
The deadly crash happened on May 23, 2018 along Bayshore Boulevard in Tampa
Herrin's Ford Mustang veered into Jessica Reisinger-Raubenolt, 24, and her daughter, 1-year-old Lillia, ultimately killing both of them
Herrin, 21, previously pleaded guilty in December to two counts of vehicular homicide prior to his sentencing on Thursday night. He is pictured in his mugshot
The gold Nissan swerved out of the way to avoid the mother and daughter, but Herrin swerved away from the Nissan and directly into the family.
According to the Tampa Bay Times, the Assistant State Attorney presented evidence of speeding in the Mustang in the days leading up to the crash, topping out at 162mph at one point.
On the day of the crash, the car was moving at 100mph just prior to the crash, when it slowed to 30 to 40mph prior to impact.
The judge pointed towards Herrin's history of speeding when levying his sentence.
Herrin called his mother, who had gifted the Mustang to her son, after the accident, saying that he 'killed someone.'
His mother Cheryl told the judge, 'I feel responsible for this accident. If I could, I would step in front of Cameron, and I would accept the punishment you might render.'
She also talked about the suffering of Cameron and another son, Tristan, who was a passenger in Cameron's car during the fatal crash.
David Raubenolt, Jessica's widow, shared his victim impact statement with the court prior to sentencing
Pictured: Jessica Reisinger-Raubenolt along with her husband David
'I’ll hear screams at night from both boys,' Cheryl said. 'They have anxiety attacks and panic attacks.'
David Raubenolt, widower and father to their baby girl, talked ahead of sentencing about the devastation he has experienced since the death of his wife and daughter.
He mentioned that he saw traffic backed up on the day of the accident and began praying for a stranger, only to learn of his family's involvement.
'I want you to never forget that you have caused thousands of people to cry,' Raubenolt said to Herrin.
'It’s impossible to have greater harm than occurred in this case,' the judge said prior to his ruling.
'She was the type of person who never wanted to see any person suffer and this would have been a very hard day for her to sit in and through,' Raubenolt said after the sentencing.
'But ultimately if she knew our goal was to make these streets safer, being the humble person that she was she would accept her sacrifice and be grateful for it.'
ABC Action News reports the judge was considering trying Herrin as a youthful offender due to his age at the time of the crash, before ultimately trying him as an adult.
Herrin's friend driving the gold Nissan, John Barrineau, previously made a deal with the state in exchange for a six-year prison sentence.
Barrineau will also on probation for 15 years, required to complete 200 hours of community service, half of which will involve speaking about the dangers of reckless driving.
FOX 13 reports the city has added some safety features to the boulevard where the crash happened, including added crosswalks with flashing lights and reducing the speed limit from 45 to 35mph on Bayshore Boulevard, where the crash occurred.
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