By FRED LUDWIG, Californian staff writer
Wednesday April 04, 2001, 10:30:41 PM
Two men who were involved in a fatal crash each
received a year in the Kern County jail, sentences that were handed out
during an emotional hearing Wednesday packed with family members of both the
victims and the defendants. The sentences of Theodore Eddie Seuell and
Brandon Dale Warner were much less than the plea bargains for both of them
-- to the disappointment of survivors of the two brothers killed last
September. Officials have said the defendants were racing on South Chester
Avenue, causing the crash that killed Alfred Lee Sheppard, 54, and Sherry
Robert Sheppard, 37.
Several Sheppard family members spoke during
Wednesday's hearing, bringing tears to the eyes of other family members who
filled much of the left side of the courtroom. Supporters of the defendants
packed the right side of the room. Elaine Sheppard said she had to move out
of her home because of financial problems resulting from the death of her
husband, Alfred. "My heart is shattered," she said during the hearing. "My
heart is broken." Seuell also received 1,000 hours of community service.
After reportedly driving at speeds of up to 70 mph, Seuell's car crashed
into a pickup that had turned left in front of it at Dorian Drive. The plea
bargains called for sentences of up to seven years in prison for Seuell and
up to three years for Warner.
Defense attorneys asked for Judge Arthur Wallace
to go with lower sentences, saying the 23-year-olds had made mistakes but
were remorseful and did not deserve long prison terms. Warner's attorney,
Kyle Humphrey, said the victims were under the influence of alcohol, and
their injuries might have been minor if they had worn their seat belts.
Humphrey said his client -- an otherwise law-abiding man -- did not hit
any vehicles, adding Warner had slowed down before the accident. Information
from witnesses shows Warner did not slow down, said Deputy District Attorney
Bud Starr. "They were still engaged in the speed contest," Starr said. The
racing showed a reckless disregard for the safety of other drivers, Starr
said.
