Woman pleads no-contest in 2013 fatal hit-and-run
The sentencing for
She faces as much as 30 years in prison.
Holland was driving her 2008 two-door
The siblings were riding together on a bicycle and were not in the crosswalk at the time of the crash, according to
The day after the crash, Holland -- a University of
FHP spokeswoman Sgt.
After a nearly year-long investigation, troopers arrested Holland for leaving the scene of a fatal crash involving death and leaving the scene of a fatal crash involving serious bodily injuries in
At Friday's plea hearing, Holland appeared upbeat and smiling at times. Although she didn't speak after the hearing, her attorney said she's very remorseful for what happened.
"FHP determined it [the crash] wasn't her fault," said
According to Montes, a no-contest plea means the defendant is waving their right to a trial by jury and letting the judge decide punishment instead.
The maximum sentence for leaving the scene of a fatal crash is 30 years in prison and a
The victims' mother,
"Probation, I will not accept. It's disrespectful," Exposito said after the hearing. "It's been almost 22 months, and it continues to be a struggle for my son, for his health, his accomplishments [and] recovery, as well for the young life that was loss of my daughter."
Exposito said she hopes the judge keeps in mind Holland's driving record, which includes three speeding tickets.
One of the tickets she received almost a year after the 2013 crash.
"Our actions speak highly of the person we are," Exposito said. "The entire 21 months has meant nothing for [Holland] as she's continued to live life carefree and make poor decisions during and after the accident."
Exposito, a single mother, had to teach Travis, now 20, how to eat and walk again after he came out of a coma with severe brain damage.
She enrolled him in
But Travis still experiences hard days, she said. A trip to the mall, for example, is challenging for him because a 5-minute walk to a healthy person is a 30-minute walk for him. He's also realizing now that he'll never be able to ride a bicycle or skateboard again.
Between work and caring for Travis, Exposito also has to care for her youngest son, Joseph, who unfortunately fell behind a year in school after the crash.
"There's a lot of emotions he is encountering, such as depression," Exposito said before the hearing. "The entire family, we have been going to a therapist for 21 months to grieve [and] learn how to cope with the new person that is my son, Travis."
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