A 16-year-old Tukwila boy pleaded not guilty to vehicular homicide and other charges for allegedly killing a 13-year-old girl who was a passenger in his car in a June 30 head-on collision in Kent.
The boy entered the plea July 26 in King County Juvenile Court. He returns to court Aug. 5 when a trial date could be set or attorneys could ask for more time to prepare the case. The boy, who is not being named by the Kent Reporter because he is under 18 and being charged as a juvenile, remained in custody Tuesday at the King County Juvenile Detention Center, according to the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
He also faces two counts of vehicular assault (for injuries to two people in the car he collided with) and felony hit and run for running from the crash in the 9700 block of Canyon Drive, near Kent-Meridian High School.
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If found guilty as charged, the teen could face a sentencing range of about seven to 19 months in jail, according to the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. If the case goes to trial, it would be in front of a judge and not a jury.
The teen allegedly drove a 2018 Nissan Altima that crashed head-on into a Mazda Protege on the night of June 30. The boy ran from the car. Kent Police arrested him two days later after tips from a witness and people who know the boy.
Sabrina Ali died from smoke inhalation in the backseat of the Nissan. Firefighters found her deceased after extinguishing the car fire.
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