Illegal migrant enters plea in crash that killed boy one day before his 12th birthday
The fatal crash happened on Dec. 20, 2023, when 33-year-old Endrina Bracho barreled down the highway the wrong way, going 75 miles per hour at the time of the crash, 35 miles above the posted speed limit, according to the Hazelwood Police Department.
"1,700 feet is quite a big distance to travel at over 70 miles an hour on a 40-mile posted road. That's a long way to travel in the wrong direction and not realize it," Sgt. Scott Schnurbusch from the Hazelwood Police Department previously told FOX 2.
Authorities confirmed that Bracho was a Venezuelan migrant without a driver's license, when she slammed into the family's car head-on.
Travis Wolfe, the victim in the crash, was just one day away from celebrating his 12th birthday in December. He died at the hospital on March 6 after being taken off life support.
On Monday, Bracho entered a blind plea, admitting guilt to one count of first-degree involuntary manslaughter and two counts of second-degree assault, according to court records. A blind plea means the defendant pleads guilty without any prior agreement on sentencing with prosecutors.
As part of the plea deal, prosecutors dropped two charges of first-degree endangering the welfare of a child and two misdemeanor traffic offenses.
Bracho is set to be sentenced on Sept. 12. Prosecutors have suggested a 10-year sentence for the manslaughter charge and seven years for each of the assault charges, with all sentences to run concurrently.
Wolfe's sister, Taylor Wolfe, expressed outrage following the arrest, telling "Fox & Friends" that Bracho should not have even been in the U.S. in the first place.
"It makes me really angry," Taylor Wolfe said in the 2024 interview.
"Everybody here has to get a driver's license, and we all have to learn how to drive, and we have to take a test to get our license. And she didn't do that, first of all. Second of all, she wasn't supposed to be here. And if she would have just came here legally, they would have had the documents on her to be able to get insurance."
"Now my family is stuck with the loss of a child because she didn't know how to drive," she added.
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo, reacted to the plea deal and called it "justice" for the Wolfe family.
"JUSTICE - the illegal who killed Travis Wolfe in Missouri has pled guilty. She should never have been in Missouri in the first place, and never would have been, had Joe Biden not opened our borders," Hawley wrote in a statement on X.
In January, Hawley introduced "Travis's Law" to honor Travis Wolfe's legacy and prevent other criminal illegal aliens from roaming free.
"Under President Biden's open border, Missouri's 12-year-old Travis Wolfe was killed by an illegal alien, who was then released from jail. There's no legislation less controversial than protecting American citizens from dangerous illegal aliens—and preventing another death like Travis's," Hawley wrote. "My amendment, Travis's Law, would guarantee the detention of criminal illegals who commit a motor vehicle crime or victimize a minor."
"Travis's Law" is an amendment to the Laken Riley Act, legislation which would ensure that ICE detains illegal aliens who commit burglary, theft, larceny, or shoplifting.
Stepheny Price is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. She covers topics including missing persons, homicides, national crime cases, illegal immigration, and more. Story tips and ideas can be sent to stepheny.price@fox.com
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