A driver who killed a Peninsula couple will not be tried as an adult, a judge decided Thursday.
Greg Ammen and his wife, Grace Spiridon, died in 2022 following a suspected street racing crash in Redwood City.
"There are no winners here," said Mike Ammen, Greg's brother. "Everyone lost."
Mike was in the courtroom Thursday when a judge ruled the driver will be tried in juvenile court. The decision means the driver will likely be released when he is 25.
"It's disappointing. But I don't know what justice really looks like in this scenario," Mike said. "This certainly isn't it, but I don't know that the court could actually bring us the justice that we would want."
The victims' family points out the defendant was 17 years and 9 months old, and was allegedly street racing when he triggered the fatal crash. Police believe the two racers were going over 80 mph down El Camino Real in Redwood City when they hit the family's car.
The couple's two twin girls, who were 7 at the time, were injured, but survived. The girls are now being cared for by extended family.
The family has filed a lawsuit against the juvenile driver and the second driver, 23-year-old Kyle Harrison, as well as their parents and the passengers in both cars for what they call “recklessly racing.”
Mike hopes the case will spur more parents to talk with their teens about the dangers of speeding and racing.
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"There's two people that lost their lives due to a teenager behind the wheel of a car," Mike said. "There's graduation coming up and plenty of opportunities to succumb to peer pressure, and I just hope this can be a reminder and a wake-up call to parents out there giving their kids keys to cars."
The defendant's family declined to comment.
The district attorney can appeal the judge's decision. Otherwise, the case will head to trial in juvenile court.
