LAS VEGAS (KLAS) – A family who came to Las Vegas as refugees, seeking a better future for their child, said they won’t forgive the person who killed their six-month-old boy.
Eythan Castro was killed in a crash on Feb. 25.
In Clark County District Court on Wednesday, Tiffany Carter, 36, asked the judge for leniency and requested forgiveness from the family of Castro.
Yet, that wasn’t enough for Judge Monica Trujillo who imposed the maximum sentence of 90 to 250 months in prison.
The judge followed the recommendation of prosecutors who said this case shocked the conscience of the community.
“This is not an individual who just came before your honor and made one mistake. This is one mistake, after another, after another, after another,” Clark County Deputy District Attorney Yu Meng said.
Carter received a sentence of 90 to 250 for months for the first count of Driving Under the Influence Resulting in Death and/or Substantial Bodily Harm. She was also sentenced to 24 to 60 months for the second count of Reckless Driving Resulting in Death and/or Substantial Bodily Harm. Both sentences will run concurrently.
According to prosecutors, Carter has a lengthy criminal history. She was on parole for kidnapping in 2015 during a deadly home invasion. She served seven years in prison for that charge.
“Honestly, eight years of my life is it going to give you your child back? Is it going to heal your wounds? It’s not,” Carter said.
Arisley Machado, her husband, and her mother were inside the car that killed Eythan Castro. The three adults were also in court.
“She asks to have compassion. Well, I see that they gave her a minimum sentence for what she must pay for,” Machado said in tears after Carter’s sentencing.
The crash severely injured Machado’s family, not just physically but emotionally as well.
“We came to this country, mainly for my son’s future,” Machado, who emigrated from Venezuela in 2022, said. “Well, my son had his lights turned off.”
Arisley Machado added that Carter’s sentence isn’t enough to fill the hole of losing a child.
