SAND SPRINGS, Okla. — Families of last year's car crash victims are calling a plea deal for the driver in that crash "appalling".
"We're their voices now, and we like to talk. We've got loud voices. And we're going to put them to good use for this situation," Jeanie Blatchford said Blatchford and Kori Fletcher said they'll always be Kylee Weaver's protectors, even more than a year after their respective niece and daughter passed away Sept. 15, 2022 after leaving Charles Page High School during lunch break. The car she was in had four other teens. Two of them, Ethan Gibson and Cyra Saner, also died.
The car was driven by fellow student Sirrah Mathews, who later tested positive for THC and reportedly had several marijuana products in the car.
Logan Childers was in the passenger seat in the crash.
"Whenever I wake up thinking all these things and try to look on the brighter end and then hear these things happening, it makes it a little bit harder to accept," Childers said.
"Something more than 6-18 months of a slap on the wrist, of grounding," Cyra Saner's stepmother Michele Burcham said. "It really feels like she was grounded. And my daughter died."
Burcham is referring to the plea deal Matthews accepted as a youthful offender Tuesday.
Mathews faced three counts of first degree automobile manslaughter and one count of DUI but only has to fulfill a treatment plan until she turns 19, when a judge will decide the remaining punishment.
The Tulsa County District Attorney's Office's statement sent to 2 News reads:
“This case is a tragic situation for everyone involved. Kylee Weaver, Ethan Gibson and Cyra Saner deserved a chance to grow up and live full lives. Parents should not have to bury their children. Our Office was faced with a situation where there were no winners.
Oklahoma state statutes require that a 16-year-old charged with first-degree manslaughter is presumed to be a youthful offender. This law is the State’s way of recognizing that those individuals under the age of 18, who commit serious crimes, need more serious treatment and consequences than what the Juvenile system allows. Sirrah Mathews fits into this category of a youthful offender and has now been convicted as youthful offender for three counts of First-Degree Manslaughter. Ms. Mathews has been ordered by the Court to complete requirements set out by the Office of Juvenile Affairs. The statute allows Ms. Mathews to undergo these requirements until she is 19 years old. If she fails to follow the treatment plan or commits another crime before she turns 19, our Office could file a motion to bridge her to adult court and adult sentencing. A judge would then decide if she is considered an adult and would determine her sentence.
The resolution of this case will not bring back those who lost their lives. Our hearts go out to the families of Kylee, Ethan and Cyra, who continue to mourn their loss.”
Those who saw Mathews in the courthouse for her sentencing said they witnessed a lack of remorse from the now-17-year-old.
"She joked about (the situation) yesterday at court," Blatchford said. "She's in the hallway giggling and laughing while we're all over there, sitting there crying."
"They had to come out and actually ask them to be quiet because they were laughing so loud," Fletcher added.
"It was frustrating for all of us. It's not just my grandson that got killed. It's her daughter and the other daughter, Cyra. And I mean, goodness gracious folks," said Steve Terrill, grandfather of Gibson.
The family members said the behavior and the sentence given isn't fair to the memories of the victims and shows the law is being taken advantage of.
They add they'll continue fighting for change.
"Change. Change," Burcham responded simply.
"Don't be driving if you're impaired in any way, shape, or form. No matter the age. It shouldn't matter, the age," Blatchford said.
Mathews faces another hearing at Tulsa County Courthouse in November for fines and finalizing her treatment plan.
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