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6 months ago
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An Oregon woman was left outraged after the man who killed her daughter while street racing was sentenced to just three years in prison.
Jonathan Peña pleaded guilty to criminally negligent homicide, recklessly endangering another person and reckless driving on Friday for the death of 26-year-old Ashlee McGill.
'It was definitely too light. I think that if they are trying to get people to stop speed racing, that's not going to do it,' McGill's mother, Misty Nicholson, told KATU News.
'I think he got maybe a time-out. But that really wasn't a sentence.'
In August 2022, Peña was racing another driver at speeds over 80 mph when their vehicles collided at a Portland intersection. His Mustang jumped the curb, striking and killing McGill while she waited at a bus stop.
An Oregon man was sentenced to three years behind bars Friday in connection to the death of 26-year-old Ashlee McGill
Jonathan Peña (pictured) pleaded guilty to criminally negligent homicide, recklessly endangering another person and reckless driving
McGill's mother, Misty Nicholson, called the sentence 'a time-out' and does not believe it is going to deter others from street racing
Peña hit 84 miles per hour moments before the fatal crash - 54 miles per hour above the posted speed limit.
Evidence presented in court showed how the impact downed tree branches, shattered the windows of a nearby dental clinic and rendered his car a mangled wreck.
Peña was charged with second-degree manslaughter the following August, but the charge was later adjusted to criminally negligent homicide, a Class B felony.
He changed his plea to guilty, and additional charges of recklessly endangering another person and reckless driving were stacked on during his sentencing.
Peña will serve 36 months due to time already served, with three years post-release supervision and five years' probation. He must also pay at least $5,000 restitution.
The other driver, Kenneth Freeman, also pleaded guilty to criminally negligent homicide and was sentenced to five years in prison last fall.
A third driver who partook in the race has not been identified.
Nicholson read a statement during Peña's sentencing. 'I do hope for the rest of your life, every time you close my eyes you see my daughter and remember what you did to her,' she said.
McGill was waiting for the bus in August 2022 when Jonathan Peña's Mustang jumped the curb during a street race. He fatally struck McGill, a dedicated mother to an eight-year-old boy
Peña's Mustang (pictured) hit 84 miles per hour moments before the crash, which downed tree branches and shattered windows nearby
Peña shared a statement in which he beseeched McGill's family to forgive him
'I do hope for the rest of your life, every time you close my eyes you see my daughter and remember what you did to her,' Nicholson said in court
Kenneth Freeman, who was involved in the crash, pled guilty to criminally negligent homicide and was sentenced to five years in prison last fall. A third driver has not been identified
McGill, a Portland native, is survived by her son, Ryker, three sisters, and many relatives
Peña shared his own statement in which he beseeched McGill's family to someday forgive him.
'I feel like I owe it to you, to your family to endure every trial and tribulation that comes with this to ensure that you as a family feel that justice for Ashlee is served,' he said.
McGill was a native of Portland and a doting mother to her eight-year-old son, Ryker. She is also survived by her mother, three sisters, grandmother, aunt and uncles.
Peña's sentencing came just over a year after the passage of Oregon Senate Bill 615, which increases penalties for people convicted of street racing.
First-time offenders may be slapped with a sentence of up to 364 days in jail, a $6,250 fine, or both.
Meanwhile, repeat offenders within a five-year period face a maximum of five years behind bars, a $125,000 fine, or both.
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