PORTSMOUTH, Va. – A jury has recommended 39 years in prison for a woman who crashed into some trees while trying to flee from a state trooper, killing two children who were ejected from her SUV.
News outlets report that 21-year-old Takiara Lewis-White of Portsmouth was convicted Wednesday of charges including felony murder and child neglect in the wreck, which killed 8-year-old Destiny Wilson and her 5-year-old sister, Shawnta Wilson.
Neither child was related to Lewis-White and neither was wearing a seat belt. Lewis-White's own 1-year-old son was in a child safety seat and survived.
Authorities say the trooper was trying to stop Lewis-White for speeding in September 2015 when she tried to exit Interstate 264 at more than 90 miles per hour and crashed.