| In the interest of speed and timeliness, this story is fed directly from the Associated Press newswire and may contain spelling or grammatical errors. |
SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) A 19-year-old woman was sentenced to six years in prison for her role in a drag racing accident that killed two men when her speeding Mustang struck a van that exploded.
Erin Gormley of San Clemente cried as she apologized to the families of the men killed in the November 2001 accident. She kissed her father before being taken into custody.
``I had absolutely no intention of killing two people,'' she said Friday as she begged the families for forgiveness.
Gormley was convicted in August of vehicular manslaughter, engaging in a speed contest and driving under the influence of alcohol and marijuana.
Citing Gormley's ``sincere remorse,'' youth and lack of criminal history, Orange County Superior Court Judge James P. Marion said he considered offering the college student probation.
But, after she tested positive for alcohol a month after the accident during routine testing, he settled on the prison term. Gormley also was ordered to pay $30,000 in restitution.
Gormley was racing a black Mustang at about 75 mph on Pacific Coast Highway near Del Obispo Street in Dana Point when she slammed into a van that was making a left turn, prosecutors said. Killed were Raymond Shelly, 40, and Jose Valverde, 47.