A Lauderhill teenager was sentenced Friday to 10 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to two dozen criminal counts stemming from a day that started with a vehicle theft and ended in a crash that killed a mother of three.
Broward Circuit Judge Tim Bailey listened carefully to two days of testimony this week, much of it presented by defense lawyers Kirk Shields and Kaitlin Gonzalez, who sought to portray the defendant, Jah Kobe Bessent, was a troubled child who did not get the parental, emotional or mental health support he needed growing up in a broken home.
Bessent, now 19, was 15 years old on Aug. 27, 2022, when he and some friends stole a 2010 Maserati from Fort Lauderdale. A few hours later, three hours before sunrise, they stopped at a second Fort Lauderdale house and stole two other cars, both Mercedes-Benzes, according to police.
One of those cars was spotted heading south on Powerline Road approaching Sunrise Boulevard, with Bessent at the wheel, according to police. Bessent turned the car around, and a chase was on. Police said Bessent, who had no license, drove more than 118 mph, blowing through red lights before crashing into a Chevrolet Cruz.
Maria Tellez-Valderrabano, 35, of Fort Lauderdale, a mother of three, was in the backseat of the Cruz. Police arrived at 5:56 a.m., two minutes before sunrise. Tellez-Valderrabano was pronounced dead at the scene.
“People say that time heals all wounds,” said her son, Michael Tellez-Feria, who was 13 at the time. “I respectfully disagree.”
Tellez-Feria did not ask Bailey to impose the maximum sentence, which would have been life. The victim’s family asked for a 30-year sentence.
Under state law, a judge must seriously consider a sentence less than life in prison for anyone who was a juvenile at the time of the offense. Bessent had turned 15 a month before the incident, though he was charged as an adult.
Prosecutor Ross Weiner recommended a sentence of 15 years in prison followed by 15 years of probation. Bailey said his sentence reflected his agreement that the defendant was immature at the time and that he suffered from mental health issues that can and should be treated.
“No matter what the sentence is, it’s not going to bring back my mom,” said the victim’s daughter, Samantha Cruz.
Among the charges Bessent pleaded guilty to were manslaughter with a weapon, vehicular manslaughter, leaving the scene of a deadly accident, leaving the scene of an accident with serious bodily injury and reckless driving. His guilty plea came with no agreement from the state to agree to leniency.
The decision was left to the judge. After the 10 years are up, Bailey ordered Bessent to spend 10 years on probation. He cannot obtain a driver’s license or operate a vehicle for 10 years after his release.
Rafael Olmeda can be reached at rolmeda@sunsentinel.com or 954-356-4457.