Plea deal in hit-and-run that killed high school student in Fresno: 5-year sentence max
Lisa Spoors, the driver accused of hitting and killing a 15-year-old Hoover High student in 2022, agreed to a plea agreement Wednesday that could send her to prison for up to five years.
Relatives of Rashad Al-Hakim Jr. , who packed the courtroom, reacted angrily to the decision, saying the case should have gone to trial.
“Five years, for murder?” shouted one person as she stormed out of the courtroom.
Spoors is alleged to have been under the influence of a combination of illicit and prescription drugs when she failed to see Al-Hakim Jr. crossing First Street near the campus of the Fresno Unified school on Oct. 4, 2022.
Police said Spoors did not stop to help the teenager, who died several days later from his injuries. Spoors left the scene and returned about 20 minutes later after contacting police.
Marc Kapetan, the attorney for Spoors, has maintained his client was not under the influence and could not have stopped in time to avoid hitting Al-Hakim Jr.
As part of the plea deal, Spoors pleaded no contest to one count of vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated without gross negligence and one count of leaving the scene of an accident involving death or permanent injury. A charge of driving under the influence of a drug while causing injury was dropped.
Judge Gabriel Brickey told Spoors the maximum sentence for the charges is five years.
Sentencing is scheduled for April 10.
Had the case gone to trial and Spoors was convicted on the original charges, the maximum punishment would have been 15-years-to-life in prison.
Prosecutor Steven Ueltzen declined to comment on the case, saying the district attorney’s office does not comment on open cases.
After the hearing, both he and Kapetan exited the courtroom through a staff entrance, as frustrated family members gathered in the hallway.
Family reacts to plea deal
Ragina Bell, Al-Hakim Jr.’s mother, cried after Wednesday’s hearing. She has been a vocal advocate for her son, attending every hearing.
On Wednesday, she carried a homemade sign with the words, “We Want Justice. My Son Shine and We Love You Son.”
There were also photos of Rashad holding a trophy, standing with his little brother and with his mom at school.
“He deserved a chance to live,” she said after the hearing. “And she took that away.”
Rashad Al-Hakim Sr. was also disappointed in the decision to settle the case.
“She took my son’s life,” he said. “For that she deserves to spend the rest of her life in prison.”
Al-Hakim Sr. said it has been extremely difficult to cope with the tragic death of his son.
“I’m living through my other kids and family,” he said. “It is the only way to deal with this. You have to wake up each day and face this. I think about him and I remember his laugh and his smile. I miss that.”
This story was originally published February 21, 2024 at 3:24 PM.
