Brendan Khuri pleads guilty to vehicular manslaughter of Monique Munoz after teen driver crashed into Los Angeles receptionist while allegedly speeding in his Lamborghini.
A Los Angeles teen who crashed into a vehicle —killing its occupant —while allegedly street racing while driving a Lamborghini appeared in court on Friday, pleading guilty to vehicular manslaughter.
Brendan Khuri, 17, was behind the wheel of the sports car when it crashed into Monique Munoz, 32, in February, who was killed at the scene. His entrepreneur father gave it him for his 17th birthday just a few months earlier.
Khuri who survived the crash and was left injured and taken to the hospital with what his family lawyer described as a brain injury. It’s unclear what condition he is in now.
The teenager admitted to one count of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence in Inglewood Juvenile Court and has been ordered to continue being confined to his home until the next court date on June 30.
On Friday, he appeared in Inglewood juvenile court where he admitted to one count of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence. The teen, who was ordered confined to his home until his next court date on June 30, where he will be sentenced abc7losangeles reports.
106 miles per hour
In adult court, vehicular manslaughter sentences range from one to six years in prison.
The teenager could face a range of outcomes from probation to up to nine months in juvenile camp, according to Los Angeles Times.
In court, prosecutors said the teen had been ‘racing’ with a female friend and swerving in and out of traffic before the fatal wreck. The Lamborghini was traveling at 106 miles per hour when it struck Munoz, prosecutors said. Police said the force of the crash nearly split Munoz’s vehicle in half.
A lawyer for the Khuri family, criminal defense attorney Mark Werksman, denied Brendan was racing and said Brendan was extremely remorseful and extended his apologies to Munoz’s family.
Cameras were not allowed inside the courtroom and there was no sign of his family arriving or leaving but Munoz’s family was there.
Her parents wore masks with her face on them and carried signs in her memory. Other supporters carried signs demanding that Khuri be charged.
‘We want him to go to prison and understand the consequences of his undoing. I want his father to feel his son gone for years because Monique is gone for life,’ her uncle said.
Charged in juvenile court
The teenager was arrested for vehicular manslaughter in the incident in March but no charges were filed initially.
Then the L.A. District Attorney’s Office announced that it had filed charges earlier this month but wouldn’t reveal what those charges are – or if he was being charged as a juvenile or adult – until the arraignment Friday.
Last month, LAPD sources told the dailymail that it had recommended charges and was waiting for prosecutors to act.
‘We’ve done a filing,’ Supervising Detective James Dickson of the LAPD’s West Traffic department told the tabloid. ‘That filing was presented to the LA County Juvenile DA. It’s currently in his office.
‘The arrest charge was 192(c)(1), negligent vehicular manslaughter.
‘I can’t regurgitate what we found, but based upon multiple witness statements that corroborate one another, it’s clear that there was gross negligence.’
Keep blowing this up! Monique Munoz and her loved ones deserves justice. Share to all platforms 🥺🙏🏼 #justiceformoniquemunoz #justiceformonique #jameskhuri #brendankhuri #takeaccountability #DoTheRightThing pic.twitter.com/mzaGCZTkvj
— wendy (@wendywestcoast) March 8, 2021
Speed contest?
Dickson said he believed the Lamborghini was racing with an Audi, which also was found at the scene but was not involved in the crash.
‘We believe that that vehicle was potentially engaged in a speed contest with the Lamborghini. That’s a separate investigation and that’s ongoing so I’m not willing to comment at the moment, but we do believe that it was involved,’ he said.
The detective added that Brendan was absentee booked while in the hospital.
Dickson said that ‘from evidence recovered and eyewitness accounts the vehicle was being operated at an unsafe speed.’
Under a picture of a Lamborghini race car on an LA street posted in December on Instagram, the teen’s father James Khuri wrote ‘Fun Friday afternoon racing another Lamborghini SVJ on Sunset. Of course going speed limit.’
Those posts have since been deleted.
Werksman said in a statement to DailyMail.com: ‘The Khuri family is devastated by the tragic accident on February 17, 2021 that caused the death of Monique Munoz. Their hearts go out to the Munoz family for their incomparable loss.
Lawyers for the Khuri family and the Munoz family have yet to work out a financial settlement for Munoz’s family.
‘The parties are working amicably towards reaching a financial settlement,’ the lawyer said.
