The SUV carrying the group to a sleepover slammed into a tree and erupted in flames. Four girls died, while the teen behind the wheel survived and later sought entry into a mental-health diversion program instead of traditional prosecution.

Teen driver’s appalling comment to victim’s mom as her four friends burned in car crash inferno: court
Marin County high school mourns loss of 4 teenage girls in car crash

A teen driver who killed four friends while allegedly speeding to a slumber party told one of the girls’ parents at the scene, “My mom’s going to kill me … I wrecked the car,”  according to shocking testimony.

Elsa Laremont Stranczek, 17, was in court to try to dodge trial by going into a mental-health diversion program — which under California law allows eligible defendants to use to avoid traditional prosecution.

But Marin County Superior Court Judge James Chou denied the request Monday, leaving Stranczek to face prosecution for misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter in juvenile court, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

She faces up to a year in a juvenile-detention facility if convicted, reports said.

The mangled and charred remains of a car, with black bags covering parts of its engine and interior, and a police car in the background.
The judge denied a mental-health-diversion bid for the teen facing misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter charges.California Highway Patrol
Marley Barclay with her arm around another person on a beach.
Marley Barclay was the only passenger to survive the crash.GoFundMe
Sienna Katz, a teenage girl with long dark hair, wearing a black dress and holding a bouquet of flowers, stands looking forward.
Sienna Katz was one of the young passengers killed in the crash.

Before learning her fate, the teen was faced with the relatives of the four girls killed in April 2025 crash involving Stranczek’s black Volkswagen Tiguan SUV.

Christie Batanides, whose 15-year-old daughter Josalyn “Josy” Osborn died, recalled for the packed courtroom how she arrived at the crash scene and stood feet from the burning car, knowing her child was in it.

“I cannot adequately describe the horror of standing there, knowing my child was inside,” Batanides said.

The shattered mom said Stranczek’s first words to her were: “My mom’s going to kill me… I wrecked the car.”

Batanides told her in court, “You had no concern for your friends.”

Josalynn Osborn, a Marin County teen, stands in a wrestling uniform with an American flag draped behind her.
Josalyn “Josy” Osborn was just 15 years old when she died in the burning car.GoFundMe
Olive Koren, a teenager with curly brown hair, wearing glasses and a light-colored top.
The grandfather of Olive Koren, who died in the crash, who was in the courtroom, felt the investigation was unresolved.
A dark colored car, severely damaged and crashed into a tree at night, with text overlay reading "COMMUNITY REMEMBERS GIRLS KILLED IN CRASH FOUR TEENS KILLED; TWO OTHERS SERIOUSLY INJURED."
The deadly journey began when the group piled into the teen’s car in Fairfax and set off toward Woodacre.abc7

Stranczek, who suffered severe burns in the crash and reportedly does not remember the accident, also stood and spoke to the courtroom for the first time.

She acknowledged her role behind the wheel and said she had mourned her four friends every day since their deaths.

“Regardless of the outcome, I’ll spend the rest of my life trying to honor my friends and their memory,” she said.

The deadly journey began when the group piled into the teen’s car in downtown Fairfax and set off toward Woodacre for a Friday night sleepover.

Just minutes before they arrived, the driver lost control on a curve on San Geronimo Valley Road and slammed into a redwood tree, causing the car to burst into flames.

Ada Kepley, the Marin County teen girl facing charges over a crash that killed four of her friends, is pictured on a beach with a calm ocean behind her.
Ada Kepley was one of the passengers who died in the fiery car crash.GoFundMe
Melted, charred dashboard of a car, showing a speedometer with numbers up to 40 still visible, following a crash.
Investigators could not retrieve information from the vehicle’s black box because it was destroyed in the fire.California Highway Patrol

Ada Kepley, Olive Koren, Sienna Katz and Josalyn were killed. Marley Barclay was the only passenger to survive the crash.

California Highway Patrol investigators blamed speed for the crash, estimating the car was traveling roughly 60 to 65 mph on the 40 mph road.

Investigators could not retrieve information from the vehicle’s black box because it was destroyed in the fire.

They instead relied partly on the speedometer, which had melted into a position indicating a speed of about 60 mph.

That conclusion has divided the victims’ families and raised questions about what happened in the moments before impact.

Stranczek has maintained she saw headlights from what she believed was an oncoming vehicle shortly before the wreck, though CHP was unable to substantiate those claims.

A severely damaged black car, with its front end completely destroyed from impacting a large tree, on a dark, tree-lined road.
CHP investigators blamed speed for the crash, estimating the car was traveling up to 65 mph on the 40 mph road.abc7
Two girls embracing next to a memorial of flowers and a tree along a road.
The driver lost control on a curve on San Geronimo Valley Road and slammed into a redwood tree.abc7

Defense attorney Charles Dresow insisted she had demonstrated remorse and pointed to the probation department’s recommendation that she receive diversion.

She cooperated with probation, kept a 3.73 GPA and worked as a paid intern for the Youth Transforming Justice Institute in San Rafael.

Chou ultimately sided against diversion after weighing the teen’s circumstances against the need for accountability.

“This has been one of the saddest and most difficult cases that I have encountered in my 37 years of practicing law,” Chou said. “It is a tragedy beyond tragedies.”

His decision did little to bridge the divide between families over how the case should end.

“Nothing will bring my girl back, but at least there will be some accountability,” said Sienna’s mother, Peg Minicozzi.

Olive’s grandfather, Bruce Koren, came away with the opposite reaction, arguing that questions about the investigation had still not been resolved.

“Today was not just a loss for [the driver],” he told the outlet. “It was a loss for the truth.”

The teen is due back in court later this month.

SOURCE: NYPOST.COM