An Oregon woman was outraged after the man who killed her daughter during a street race was sentenced to just three years in prison.
Jonathan Peña pleaded guilty Friday to criminally negligent homicide, recklessly endangering others and reckless driving for the death of 26-year-old Ashlee McGill.
“It was definitely too clear. I think if they try to get people to stop speed racing, it’s not going to do it,” McGill’s mother, Misty Nicholson, told KATU News.
“I think he may have had some downtime. But it really wasn’t a sentence.
In August 2022, Peña was racing another driver at speeds above 80 mph when their vehicles collided at a Portland intersection. Her Mustang jumped the curb, hitting and killing McGill as she waited at a bus stop.
An Oregon man was sentenced Friday to three years in prison in connection with the death of 26-year-old Ashlee McGill.
Jonathan Peña (pictured) pleaded guilty to criminally negligent homicide, recklessly endangering another person and reckless driving
McGill’s mother, Misty Nicholson, called the sentence a “time out” and doesn’t believe it will deter others from participating in street racing.
Peña reached 84 miles per hour moments before the fatal crash, 54 miles per hour above the posted speed limit.
Evidence presented to the court showed how the impact felled tree branches, smashed the windows of a nearby dental clinic and turned his car into a mangled wreck.
Peña was charged with second-degree manslaughter the following August, but the charge was later adjusted to criminally negligent homicide, a class B felony.
He changed his plea to guilty, and additional charges of reckless endangerment of others and reckless driving were stacked during his sentencing.
Peña will serve a 36-month sentence due to time already served, with three years of post-release supervision and five years of probation. He must also pay at least $5,000 in restitution.
The other driver, Kenneth Freeman, also pleaded guilty to criminally negligent homicide and was sentenced to five years in prison last fall.
A third driver who participated in the race has not been identified.
Nicholson read a statement at Peña’s sentencing. “I hope that for the rest of your life, every time you close your eyes, you see my daughter and you remember what you did to her,” she said.
McGill was waiting for the bus in August 2022 when Jonathan Peña’s Mustang jumped the curb during a street race. He fatally struck McGill, the devoted mother of an eight-year-old boy.
Peña’s Mustang (pictured) reached speeds of 84 miles per hour moments before the crash, which downed tree branches and shattered windows nearby.
Peña shared a statement in which he implored McGill’s family to forgive him
“I hope that for the rest of your life, every time you close your eyes, you see my daughter and you remember what you did to her,” Nicholson told the court.
Kenneth Freeman, involved in the crash, pleaded guilty to criminally negligent homicide and was sentenced to five years in prison last fall. A third driver has not been identified
McGill, a native of Portland, is survived by his son Ryker, his three sisters and numerous relatives.
Peña shared his own statement in which he implored McGill’s family to one day forgive him.
“I feel like I owe it to you, your family, to endure all the trials and tribulations that come with this to ensure that you, as a family, feel that justice for Ashlee is served,” he declared.
McGill was a native of Portland and a loving mother to her eight-year-old son Ryker. She is also survived by her mother, three sisters, grandmother, aunt and uncles.
Peña’s conviction came a little more than a year after the passage of Oregon Senate Bill 615, which increased penalties for those convicted of street racing.
First-time offenders can be sentenced to up to 364 days in jail, a fine of $6,250, or both.
Meanwhile, repeat offenders over a five-year period face a maximum of five years in prison, a fine of $125,000, or both.
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