Marin teenager denied diversion for deadly crash in Woodacre

A Marin County Superior Court judge declined Monday to grant the defendant in a deadly crash in Woodacre the option of rehabilitation instead of criminal prosecution.

The 17-year-old Fairfax girl is charged in the deaths of four teenage passengers on April 18, 2025. Judge James Chou made his ruling after hearing statements from the victims’ relatives and friends during two hearings.

“This has been one of the saddest and most difficult cases I ever encountered,” Chou said.

RELATED: Marin County reviews road safety after tragic crash that killed four teens

Chou said he had to weigh the evidence, state law, the impacts of the lost lives and the county probation department’s finding that the defendant is eligible for diversion.

“I have to conclude no matter what happens in this case, she will take accountability for all that has happened,” Chou said.

The defendant stood and addressed the victims’ relatives and friends before the judge made his ruling.

“I express my profound regret and sorrow for my actions,” she said.

The Marin County District Attorney’s Office charged the girl with a misdemeanor of vehicular manslaughter and infractions of driving at an unsafe speed and violating terms of her provisional driver’s license.

The driver had a provisional license and was prohibited from transporting passengers under age 20, the California Highway Patrol said.

All six occupants of the Volkswagen Tiguan SUV were 14 to 16 years old and students at Archie Williams High School in San Anselmo.

The vehicle struck a redwood tree and caught fire along a narrow, two-lane stretch of San Geronimo Valley Drive. The passengers who died were Sienna Katz, Ada Kepley, Olive Koren and Josalyn Osborn.

Family members and friends of the victims are divided over how the justice system should treat the defendant. They expressed their views on Monday morning and in a hearing on July 22.

Christie Batanides, the mother of Josalyn Osborn, said her daughter had a caring nature and a custom of filling every room with laughter and energy.

“No sentence you’ll impose today will bring Josalyn back,” she told Chou.

Batanides called upon him to deny diversion for the defendant.

“Accountability matters because actions have consequences,” she said.

Osborn’s sister, Dylynn, described the victim as her best friend and accused the defendant of lacking remorse.

“You’re not the one wearing your sister’s ashes around your neck,” she said.

Several relatives of victims expressed support for the defendant and urged the judge to grant her diversion.

Linda Kepley, the mother of Ada Kepley, recalled visiting the defendant in a hospital and hearing her regret. She also questioned the CHP investigation, which she believed left many unanswered questions.

“We need to focus on trying to find a positive way for us to heal,” Kepley said.

Olive Koren’s grandfather, Bruce Koren, criticized the investigation and said the defendant cannot be held responsible for the crash. He said CHP officers failed to follow up on information that other vehicles were at the scene before the crash. He stood by the surviving passenger’s account of seeing an incoming vehicle’s headlights before the defendant crashed into a tree.

The passenger, who was 14 when the crash happened, reiterated her memory of seeing another vehicle’s headlights and watching the defendant serve away to avoid it. She gave her account to CHP investigators, who found no evidence a second vehicle was involved.

“I would never lie about what I saw,” she told Chou.

She also described the traumatic losses of her friends and said the defendant made no mistakes on purpose.

Chou previously rejected two motions from the defense that challenged how the CHP investigated the crash.

Defense attorney Charles Dresow alleged that investigators mishandled their interviews of the passenger who survived the crash and they also damaged the vehicle’s speedometer.

Last month, two CHP officers testified they wrote notes during their interviews of the passengers, but their audio recording devices had failed to work. They also said they destroyed their notes after they finished writing their reports. The officers said they were not issued body cameras when they spoke with the girl.

Chou found that investigators did not act in bad faith or destroy evidence. He noted that both officers still turned on their recording devices.

The judge also found no foul play in how the CHP used the vehicle’s speedometer to determine how fast the defendant had traveled before the crash. Investigators believe she drove 60 to 65 mph in the 40 mph zone.

In his closing statement Monday, Dresow emphasized that the probation staff found his client to be eligible for diversion.

“Whatever decision is made it doesn’t take away from the tragedy and the magnitude of what had occurred,” Dresow said.

Prosecutor Cassandra Edwards said the defendant should not be granted diversion. She said the girl promised she would obey the law when she was granted a provisional driver’s license.

“She broke that promise and it resulted in the deaths of four of her dear friends,” Edwards said.

After rejecting diversion, Chou set the next hearing for Aug. 24.

Dresow can appeal the ruling.