Tearful driver says she would trade places with 3 friends killed in Richland racing crash

A 20-year-old Kennewick woman choked back sobs as she apologized Tuesday for the deadly crash that killed her three friends.

“No amount of I’m sorrys will ever bring them back,” said Jennifer A. Duong. “ I would take their place in a heartbeat. ... When I close my eyes, I’m reminded of the grief and damage I have caused. ... I truly don’t believe I deserve to be here while they are gone.”

Duong pleaded guilty to three counts of vehicular homicide Tuesday in connection with the violent crash that killed her best friend, Lianna Salazar, 19, her cousin Andres Morfin, 20, and his best friend, Daniel Antonio Trejo, 19.

She told Judge Sam Swanberg that the wreck at the corner of George Washington Way and Jadwin Avenue in late February 2022 altered her life.

She said Salazar had welcomed her into her family and gave her years of friendship and support.

“She was my rock,” Duong said. “Her energy and presence are what helped me get through my day. ... Living my life without her, hurts me more each day.”

Family members of the three victims’ families, as well as Duong’s, packed two Justice Center courtrooms for the tear-filled hearing that ended with the young woman getting 6 1/2 years in a Washington state prison.

Members of the Salazar, Morfin and Trejo families said they felt their absences every day.

“Four hundred and fifteen days — that’s how long it’s been since I hugged my (daughter), since the last time I kissed your beautiful face, or the last time I heard your beautiful laugh,” Salazar’s mother said. “Four hundred and fifteen days and three beautiful lights were robbed from us.”

Judge Swanberg told Duong that after looking at photos of the wreckage, she was lucky to be alive. “I’m hoping there is some meaning, some purpose behind it,” he said.

Reckless driving

Duong was behind the wheel of a Acura heading south on George Washington Way when she decided to race a white BMW, said Deputy Prosecutor Andrew Clark.

The two cars took off south toward Highway 240, and Duong reached at least 86 mph.

“G Way is straight until you reach Jadwin and they got to that curve and no vehicle can manage that corner at 86 mph,” he said. “And we see the results of what happened.”

Thought she had some alcohol earlier in the day, tests showed it wasn’t enough to find her guilty of driving under the influence, Clark said.

That left prosecutors in a difficult position. If they took the case to trial, it was possible a jury could find her guilty of a different prong of vehicular homicide, aggravated negligence with a maximum sentence of just four years in prison.

Also, he said, state courts have emphasized the importance of the age of the person when considering someone’s mindset when committing a crime.

He also noted that reckless driving can cover a large range of circumstances.

After talking with the families and Duong’s defense attorney, they agreed she would plead guilty to vehicular homicide by reckless driving.

In exchange, both the prosecutors and defense would recommend a lesser sentence than the nine- to 12 year-maximum she faced.

“The hard reality is that there is no number,” Clark said. “There is no number that is going to change what happened. There is no number that is going to undo the harm.”

Clark recommended a seven-year sentence.

Then, nearly a dozen family members and friends spoke or submitted letters about their losses and grief.

Many said they are left with a lifetime of heartache over the young people who should have been just starting their lives.

They also said the victims had a positive impact on the people around them by motivating them to be better and pursue their goals.

Survivor’s guilt

Several of Duong’s family members, as well as her fiancé spoke in her defense, saying the crash had left her changed.

A child of Vietnamese immigrants, she grew up in a home where both parents ran businesses, working long hours. Her uncle, David Kinsey, said Duong entered high school with a few lifelong friends that were more like family to her.

“She suffers from survivor’s guilty,” Kinsey said. “She shares the grief of the families of her friends.”

He said the crash left her understanding that there are consequences for her actions, and he asked for a long enough sentence to give her time to get her life on the right track, but not so long that it leaves her hardened.

Her sister said Duong is more than the crime she committed, adding that she has always been kind-hearted and compassionate.

Duong’s attorney, Diego Vargas, asked for a six-year term for her, saying that all she has wanted to do is take responsibility in this case.

“She was adamant that she wanted to accept responsibility for what she did,” he said. “If she could go into the parking lot right now and set herself on fire to bring those people back, she would do that.”

While she is alive, her family lost the person she was before the wreck, Vargas said.

“She doesn’t feel the same. She doesn’t act the same,” he said. “From the moment she wakes up to when she goes to be, she’s constantly reminded of this.”

Determining a sentence

Swanberg said this was one of the toughest cases he’s had to decide.

“There is no sentence that will bring peace or comfort to anybody involved in this room, the overflow room or the electronic virtual courtroom,” he said. “Family and friends have been devastated on all sides.”

He hoped that the family could find some peace to heal the wounds left by the crash.

While her choices led to her friends deaths, he said she didn’t set out to do it intentionally. It was a case where a 19-year-old was driving a vehicle at speeds that could cause great harm to the people inside and outside of the car.

He noted that she was a 19-year-old with friends who made a bad decision influenced by her youth.

He agreed to the lower sentence and decided to split the difference between the two recommendations at 6 1/2 years.