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Talia Newfield, age 16, and Adrienne Garrido, age 17, were hit by two cars while they were crossing a street near Needham High School on February 10, 2018, MassLive reports. The vehicles were driven by Dania Antoine-Guiteau and Robert Berry, age 70, of Needham.
Antoine-Guiteau was previously found guilty of motor vehicle homicide in connection with the girls' deaths, the outlet continued. After her conviction, prosecutors asked that Antoine-Guiteau be sentenced to 2.5 years with two years to serve, the Norfolk County District Attorney's Office reports.
However, Judge Beverly Cannone suspended the 2.5 year sentence on the condition that Antoine-Guiteau does not drive and reduced her jail time to six months. The conviction also means Antoine-Guiteau will lose her license for 15 years, the office continued.
“I thank the Needham Police Department and Massachusetts State Police for their thorough investigation, and Assistant District Attorneys Lally and Riley for their work in this trial,” District Attorney Michael Morrissey said. “My thoughts are primarily with the Newfield family, who have shown great patience and resolve in seeing this through, and the Garrido family for their awful loss.”
A self-described hardworking student with an optimistic view on life, Adrienne "touched the lives of everyone she met," according to her obituary. The young woman was a member of the National Honor Society and co-caption of her cross-country team.
A scholarship with Adventures Cross Country was also created in Adrienne's name to let runners "experience the adventure of travel and community service she so enjoyed," a GoFundMe reads.
Meanwhile, Talia was an active member of Needham High School, Camp Tevya and Temple Aliyah, Temple Aliyah said in a Facebook post.
"Her energetic spirit, creative soul and kind heart will forever be remembered by her camp friends and the Tevya community," Camp Tevya said in a Facebook post. "Her memory will inspire us all to stay positive, to always laugh and to have an open mind and heart."
Following her death, people were asked to make donations to The Second Step and the Camp Tevya Scholarship Fund in Taila's name, according to her obituary.
Antoine-Guiteau will start serving her sentence on January 3, 2023, the DA's Office reports. Meanwhile Berry, who was also indicted on negligent motor vehicle homicide and two counts of aggravated assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, has a pretrial hearing on February 28, 2023.
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