By Jill Taylor, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, April 30, 2003
 

STUART -- Dozens of friends and family members showed up in Martin Circuit Court Tuesday to watch 17-year-old Stephen Bromstrup plead no contest to vehicular homicide and negligence charges relating to a June crash that killed two teenage girls and injured a third.

So many people crowded Circuit Judge John Fennelly's third-floor courtroom that the hearing was moved to a larger room on the first floor. Bailiffs still had to bring in chairs to accommodate everyone.

Bromstrup, dressed in a suit with his mother and father at his side, answered "Yes, sir," and "No, sir," in a clear voice to the series of questions Fennelly asked to ensure the youth understood what he was doing.

There is no deal with prosecutors, and it will be up to the judge to decide a penalty at a June 9 hearing, estimated to take six hours or more as both sides present testimony.

Prosecutors elected to treat Bromstrup as an adult, but Fennelly could decide he would fit better in the juvenile system. Bromstrup could be sentenced to anything from a juvenile program up to a lengthy term in adult prison. Assistant State Attorney Robert Belanger would not comment on what his office will recommend.

Defense attorney Robert Watson said he hopes to lay out the evidence at the sentencing hearing and encourage the judge to treat Bromstrup as a juvenile.

"The goals of providing punishment and considering the welfare of the child can all be accomplished within the juvenile system," Watson said.

Probation officers with the Department of Corrections will prepare two reports. One will discuss whether Bromstrup might fit the criteria to be treated as a juvenile and the other will be a normal pre-sentencing report that discusses the crimes, victims' comments and recommendations under the state's sentencing guidelines.

Bromstrup had been drinking and was leaving a party with two friends when he drove through a stop sign and hit a car at Linden Street and Kanner Highway. The Florida Highway Patrol estimated Bromstrup was driving 75 mph to 90 mph in a 25 mph zone just before the crash.

Tim Stone's 14-year-old daughter, Sarah, was riding in the car Bromstrup hit. She died along with her friend, 13-year-old Alexandra Quaroni.

"It's been a long 10 months. In many ways it's felt more like 10 years," Stone said Tuesday. "It pains us to see other kids who continue to live reckless lives. It hurts to see other kids make bad decisions and put themselves in harm's way."

Stone, his wife, Beth, and their other daughter, Molly, all intend to write letters to the judge, and the parents plan to speak at the sentencing.

Quaroni's family was too emotional to comment Tuesday but said they will have plenty to say at the sentencing.

Jennifer McKinney, who will be 15 in June, also was hurt in the crash. Quaroni was her cousin.

"I hope the community learns something," she said of the crash and all its outcomes. "It's not fair. Two people are dead and he's walking around."