A young driver has admitted he was speeding when he lost control and crashed his car, killing his friend Carter Navarrete 16 months ago.
At an emotional sentencing hearing Thursday in Western Communities provincial court, Desmond Vallee, 19, pleaded guilty to speeding.
Judge Christine Lowe imposed a $1,000 fine, saying it was an appropriate sentence.
“But I do so with a very heavy heart because I have before me a court full of grieving people for whom no sentence will bring back their loved one. And of course, all they really want is to have Carter returned to them,” Lowe said.
“I also see Desmond’s family before me who are mourning the loss of Desmond’s friend and the loss of Desmond as he used to be. This is a time of shared grief, which extends beyond the families to the entire community of which we are all members.”
On the night of Sept. 2, 2016, Vallee and Navarrete were driving to Navarrete’s home in Sooke. Vallee lost control of his 1994 Acura on a sharp left bend on Highway 14 just before Parkland Road.
The car spun counterclockwise, went off the road and down a steep embankment, striking several large trees. It rolled over and came to rest on its roof 25 metres from the highway.
Navarrete, who was sitting in the front passenger seat, was unconscious and held in the car by his seatbelt.
He was pronounced dead by advanced life support paramedics just after midnight. The coroner concluded Navarrete died from significant head injuries.
Vallee, who broke his neck and his sternum, tried to crawl up the road. He was unable to walk.
As he began his submissions, Crown prosecutor Grahame Merke identified 18 members of the Navarrete family who were present at the sentencing hearing. They included Carter’s parents Nicole and Mauricio, siblings, uncles, grandparents, cousins, aunts and a three-month-old nephew who was born on Carter’s birthday.
Merke said a collision analyst was unable to pinpoint exactly how fast the car was going when it went off the road. “That’s why there’s no charge of driving without due care and attention,” said Merke, who asked for a $1,000 fine.
Paul Pearson, who was representing Vallee, also asked the court for a $1,000 fine, but called it an awkward resolution.
“The healing journey is not going to be satisfied by what you hear today. We have a situation where absolute tragedy has struck a family and any sentence will seem inadequate,” Pearson said.
Vallee was sober and was not texting at the time of the crash, Pearson said. But he was going too fast. Today, he suffers from depression and constant nightmares and is afraid to fall asleep.
“This is a young man who knows the absolute pain he has caused and he knows he must deal with this every day of his life as much as the Navarrete family deals with their loss every day,” Pearson said.
Vallee is a totally changed person. “There’s a sadness to him because he knows what has happened,” Pearson said.
What happened that night to Carter is every parent’s fear, Lowe said. “We raise our children. We watch them grow and have hopes for their futures. … As a parent, I desperately feel your and your family’s loss,” she said.
“To Desmond and his family, you have work to do to pull together to bring Desmond back from his grief and his trauma. Desmond, you have said you want to honour Carter by making good in your life and you must allow yourself to heal in order to do so.
“To the Navarrete family, Desmond wants to speak to you, to apologize, to take responsibility for his actions. I sincerely hope you take him up on his offer when the time is right for you.”
Vallee has until July 31 to pay the fine.
