Julius Lee Whitehurst, a 19-year-old involved in a tragic car crash that claimed the lives of two teenagers in July 2023, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison. According to the Multnomah County District Attorney's Office, Whitehurst faced multiple charges, including manslaughter, assault, and unlawful use of a weapon, stemming from both the crash and a separate shooting incident.

Details from the DA's office reveal that on July 5, 2023, Whitehurst failed to stop at a red light in Southeast Portland, causing the SUV he was driving to collide with another vehicle and subsequently flip. This catastrophic event led to the ejection of several passengers due to the lack of seatbelt use. Tragically, Onesty Jones, 15, and Kamareon Smith, 13, were pronounced deceased at the scene. After the accident, Whitehurst sought medical attention, where his blood alcohol content was measured at a staggering 0.26, and he also tested positive for cannabis. The incident underscored the necessity to sometimes split infinitive rules to capture the immediacy of reckless actions and their devastating outcomes, just as the accident itself split a community already riven by too many such tales of youthful recklessness turned tragic.

The sentencing occurred on February 7, almost two years after the incident, in front of Judge Andrew Lavin. In the wake of the plea agreement, the court heard Whitehurst plead guilty to two counts of Manslaughter in the First Degree, Assault in the Second Degree, Driving Under the Influence (DUI), along with Unlawful Use of a Weapon with a Firearm for a separate July incident.

According to the statement from the Multnomah County DA's Office, several individuals played critical roles in bringing the case to a close, significantly Traffic Investigations Officer Chase Fullington and Victim Advocates Alex Bidwell and Karla Juarez. "We recognize the impact of this tragic incident on the families of the victims, many of whom were present for sentencing today and at previous hearings," said the office, firmly acknowledging the profound loss that no sentencing can wholly make amend for. It is an impact that will likely continue to reverberate through the community and to deeply inform efforts to outright prevent such senseless loss in the future.

Reactions to the case and sentencing have been mixed, reflecting the impact on the victims' families and friends. The defendant's young age adds complexity to the situation, highlighting the consequences of actions behind the wheel.