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Caleb Maya, age 17, of Albany, was sentenced to three to nine years in prison in Albany County Court on Friday, March 29.
It followed his guilty plea to second-degree manslaughter in the death of 14-year-old A’Mon Willis, of Albany.
The wreck happened just after 11 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 7, in Albany County, on I-890 in Colonie.
Prosecutors said Maya was driving 111 miles per hour eastbound on the highway with Willis and two other teens as passenger when he lost control and rolled the vehicle several times. The car then struck a westbound vehicle, ejecting Willis and killing him instantly.
Maya and the two other teens were taken to Albany Medical Center for non-life-threatening injuries.
According to investigators, Maya confessed that he consumed alcohol and smoked marijuana before crashing the car, which had been reported stolen. He was not granted youthful offender status and was prosecuted as an adult.
Speaking at Friday’s sentencing hearing, Willis’ mother, Jessica Willis, told the court she can’t describe the pain that she’s felt every day since A’mon died.
“I’m broken. I feel an emptiness inside, and mentally I know I’ll never be the same,” she said. “A parent should never bury their child.”
The boy’s father, Alphonso Willis, said his son’s death has left him full of sadness and guilt.
“Seeing his toothbrush in the same spot since he last used it, or his bed still made so I can pretend nothing happened,” he said. “Every day is a struggle for us.”
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