The 17-year-old driver in last year's fatal crash in Marin County has been denied diversion, and the families of the four teens who were killed remain divided over how she should be punished.
The courtroom was packed Monday with relatives and friends of the four Marin County girls who were killed in a fatal crash in April 2025, as well as Marley Barclay, the only surviving passenger, as the Chronicle reports. More than a dozen people spoke to Marin County Superior Court Judge James T. Chou before he made his decision, with some asking him to give the driver a chance to avoid further prosecution and others arguing she should be held accountable.
Barclay, who was injured in the crash, told the court that she still remembers seeing headlights from what she believed was an oncoming vehicle shortly before the crash, which CHP investigators were unable to substantiate.
“I saw a lot of things that no 14-year-old should have seen,” Barclay said, per the Chronicle. “I know what I saw that night.”
The girls had reportedly been heading from Fairfax toward Woodacre for a sleepover when the driver lost control around a bend in San Geronimo Valley Road and slammed into a redwood tree. The car caught fire, killing four of the five passengers.
CHP investigators determined that speeding caused the crash, estimating the car was traveling 60 to 65 mph in a 40 mph zone. With the vehicle's black box destroyed in the fire, investigators relied in part on the speedometer, which had melted in a position indicating a speed of about 60 mph.
The investigation has remained a major point of disagreement among the families. Some relatives questioned the CHP's handling of the case, arguing that the speedometer did not provide sufficient evidence, while also pointing to the surviving passenger's account of another vehicle being present. The defense had also previously challenged the CHP investigation, which Chou rejected.
Linda Kepley, whose daughter Ada was killed, said she believed there were still unanswered questions, but also urged the court to consider the driver a “good kid” who would live with the consequences of the crash for the rest of her life, per the Chronicle.
“We need to focus on trying to find a positive way for us to heal,” Kepley said.
Other family members took the opposite position, arguing that the driver should face consequences regardless of the remaining questions about what happened. They pointed to the restrictions on her provisional license, which prohibited her from driving with passengers under the age of 20, which Prosecutor Cassandra Edwards echoed.
“She broke that promise and it resulted in the deaths of four of her dear friends,” Edwards said.
Defense attorney Charles Dresow argued Monday that his client had already demonstrated remorse and was eligible for diversion based on a probation assessment.
The Chronicle reports that the driver, who was seriously burned in the crash and has said she does not remember the wreck, addressed the courtroom before the ruling. She acknowledged her role as the driver, noting that she’s mourned the loss of her four friends every day since the crash.
“Regardless of the outcome, I’ll spend the rest of my life trying to honor my friends and their memory,” she said.
Chou ultimately denied diversion, and the teen will continue to face prosecution as a juvenile. She could face up to a year in juvenile detention.
Her next hearing is scheduled for August 24.
Previously: Parents of Teen Victims Divided About Whether Marin County Girl Should Face Trial Over Deadly Crash
