From the St. Louis Post Dispatch--6-18-04
In a tug-at-the-heart letter, the mother of Megan Landholt urged a judge to send a message to reckless teenage drivers by ordering prison for two street racers who lost control in south St. Louis County last year and killed her daughter in a head-on crash.
Judge David Lee Vincent III did exactly that on Thursday, accommodating Barbara Landholt's request with a three-year term for Christopher Smithson, 17, and a 120-day taste of the penitentiary for Jeremy Ketchum, 18. Smithson was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in March by jurors who recommended three years in prison. He has continued to deny that he had been racing.
Ketchum pleaded guilty to an identical charge a week before Smithson's trial, and testified against him. Ketchum said he was racing his Ford Mustang against Smithson's Chevrolet Camaro on Feb. 10 last year when the Camaro crossed the center line and crashed into an oncoming car driven by Megan, on her way home from a library.
Vincent sentenced Ketchum to 120 days in prison under a "shock time" provision that will release him on probation thereafter if he meets the court's terms. Otherwise, he will have to serve the same time as Smithson.
Among the many letters about the case that Vincent got was one from Ketchum's mother, pleading for mercy and telling the judge that her family "continues to grieve for the death of Miss Landholt. We are a Christian family."
In court Thursday, Ketchum's family initially thought that Vincent had imposed a full three-year sentence, and burst into sobs as their loved one was led away in handcuffs. They learned differently soon thereafter.
Smithson's relatives also were in tears. Defense attorney Michael Kielty said he would appeal the guilty verdict.
Prosecutor Mark Bishop said Smithson "never showed any remorse after several days of trial over the loss of life he caused." Vincent agreed, suggesting that he would have sentenced Smithson to prison for as long as seven years, if the jury had recommended it.
In a tug-at-the-heart letter, the mother of Megan Landholt urged a judge to send a message to reckless teenage drivers by ordering prison for two street racers who lost control in south St. Louis County last year and killed her daughter in a head-on crash.
Judge David Lee Vincent III did exactly that on Thursday, accommodating Barbara Landholt's request with a three-year term for Christopher Smithson, 17, and a 120-day taste of the penitentiary for Jeremy Ketchum, 18. Smithson was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in March by jurors who recommended three years in prison. He has continued to deny that he had been racing.
Ketchum pleaded guilty to an identical charge a week before Smithson's trial, and testified against him. Ketchum said he was racing his Ford Mustang against Smithson's Chevrolet Camaro on Feb. 10 last year when the Camaro crossed the center line and crashed into an oncoming car driven by Megan, on her way home from a library.
Vincent sentenced Ketchum to 120 days in prison under a "shock time" provision that will release him on probation thereafter if he meets the court's terms. Otherwise, he will have to serve the same time as Smithson.
Among the many letters about the case that Vincent got was one from Ketchum's mother, pleading for mercy and telling the judge that her family "continues to grieve for the death of Miss Landholt. We are a Christian family."
In court Thursday, Ketchum's family initially thought that Vincent had imposed a full three-year sentence, and burst into sobs as their loved one was led away in handcuffs. They learned differently soon thereafter.
Smithson's relatives also were in tears. Defense attorney Michael Kielty said he would appeal the guilty verdict.
Prosecutor Mark Bishop said Smithson "never showed any remorse after several days of trial over the loss of life he caused." Vincent agreed, suggesting that he would have sentenced Smithson to prison for as long as seven years, if the jury had recommended it.
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