Milwaukee woman sentenced to 25 years in prison for crash that killed 5 people
Twenty-one-year-old Anteyona Sandifer will spend 25 years in prison for causing a crash that killed five of her passengers - four which were children.
"I take full responsibility," Sandifer said through tears in the courtroom Monday morning, apologizing to her family and the victims' families.
The crash happened late last Mother's Day, May 14, 2023, near 60th and Fond du Lac Avenue.
Prosecutors say Sandifer ran a red light at a high speed and hit another car and pole.
The crash killed two 15-year-olds, identified as Sandifer's sister and cousin, a 17-year-old boy, a 32-year-old man, and a 1-year-old baby, who was her goddaughter.
"Even though I understand you didn't go out intending to hurt anyone that day, viewing the video tape and reading the complaint here, this was an extraordinarily reckless action," said Milwaukee County Judge David Swanson.
Law enforcement reported Sandifer did not have a license and had a blood alcohol content level more than twice the legal limit.
She pleaded guilty in January to five counts of reckless homicide, among other charges.
"This is not a mistake; this is not an accident. This is a series of bad decisions that were made by Ms. Sandifer," said prosecuting attorney Sara Sadowski.
The prosecution said Sandifer never had a license and had several previous driving citations.
The grandmother of the youngest victim, 1-year-old Aniya Robinson, said her family is still in pain.
"She was a good baby, but she got taken away from us by a drunken driving person, and I'm hurting, we're all hurting for it," Reba Beckworth said in court Monday.
Sandifer's attorney claimed she knows the magnitude of what happened and asked for a minimum sentence.
"She has a very, very heavy weight to carry for the rest of her life," said Attorney Scott Anderson.
Judge Swanson determined the offense is too serious to be taken lightly.
"It's not clear to me you've taken full responsibility for the loss of five people, and that is a heavy burden to bear, and I understand that," Swanson said. "But that's something you're going to have to wrap your head around before you can safely return to this community."
The judge said he hopes Sandifer's sentence sends a message to the community that reckless driving and driving under the influence have serious consequences.