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Editor’s Note: A previous version of this story did not accurately represent the total amount of time Morales spent in juvenile detention or total amount served awaiting trial. Morales spent roughly two years in juvenile detention awaiting sentencing before Jan. 16, when he was finally released to his family. Following the crash in November, Morales, who remained at the scene was taken to a local hospital and treated for non-life threatening injuries. Kyle Harrison, the driver in the vehicle that is alleged to have been racing with Morales, fled the scene. Harrison was arrested two weeks later.
A Redwood City teenager who was 17 when he caused a crash that killed a San Carlos couple during a street race in 2022 was sentenced Thursday to 90 days of electronic home monitoring.
Cesar Morales will remain under probation supervision for up to one year following a judge’s decision to keep his case in juvenile court.
Before Morales was released to his parents on Thursday, he spent roughly two years in juvenile detention awaiting sentencing.
On Nov. 4, 2022, Morales, then 17, and another driver, Kyle Harrison, were involved in a street race on El Camino Real at Howard Avenue in San Carlos, when authorities claim Morales challenged Harrison to race after pulling up to the same traffic light.
Driving over 80 mph, Morales’ car slammed into another vehicle that was turning onto El Camino Real from Finger Avenue in Redwood City, according to police. Inside were Grace Spiridon, 42, Gregory Ammen, 44, and their 7-year-old twin daughters. The crash killed the couple on impact, while their daughters and Morales’ passengers were injured and taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
During the hearing on Thursday, Jan. 16, the victims’ family members spoke about how the crash changed their lives, sharing stories about Grace, Gregory, and their daughters. They also showed a five-minute video of the couple and their girls through different moments in their lives, capturing happy memories and the deep loss they now feel.
The sentencing follows a Nov. 20, 2024, ruling by Judge Susan Irene Etezadi, who convicted Morales of two counts of felony vehicular manslaughter and three counts of engaging in a street race that caused great bodily injury but not guilty of second-degree murder.
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This sentence is a travesty of justice and a slap in the face to the victims’ families. Morales engaged in criminally negligent behavior driving 90+ miles an hour in a suburban area, and it was entirely foreseeable that his actions would kill people. I hope the citizens of San Mateo County remembers this case the next time Judge Etezadi runs for re-election.
This decision is outrageous. Punishment does not come near to fitting the crime. People died and children are left without parents. Despicable!
The fact is the couple and their twins were northbound on El Camino Real signaling and turning left at Finger Ave when they were broadsided. This can be seen in video and the result can be seen in their demolished car, crushed-in on the passenger side, congruent with the direction they and the racer were going.
My theory why the continued misinformation about the crash: someone does not want the actual truth to get in the way of sympathizing for the victims and demonizing the racers.
I’m not for street racing but am for defensive driving. It seems to me the Bolt driver had a chance to notice how fast the racing cars were coming at him. This is why understanding they were in front of him and not up the street to his left makes a potentially big difference.
I heard the racer was jailed from the night of the accident until his sentence was handed down: more than 2 years.
Ms. Iracheta has obviously not seen the video of the crash I have 🙂
I am for the truth, Mr. Doug, which is why I added that Mr. Morales had already been in jail for roughly two years before he was sentenced. I, however, was not at his hearings, nor did I watch videos. I am relying on police and court documents.
Just googled “rwc fatal 11/22 crash video” and got this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5OiZVnoJd0
Why was the story changed in those documents?
What actually happened matters to me, because I’ve taken that drive up El Camino home after dinner countless times, living near where the couple and their daughters lived.