Teenagers Admit to Killing Pasadena City College Professor

Two 17-year-old boys have admitted to killing a Pasadena City College professor during a street racing incident in San Marino during which one of the boys’ cars struck the man while he was jogging, officials said Thursday.

Both boys admitted to charges of felony vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence in juvenile court on Dec. 20, Ricardo Santiago, a public information officer with the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, told the Pasadena Star-News.

The court allowed the teens to return home, but they were ordered, separately, to probation terms of 60 days and 30 days, the Star-News reported. In that span, the pair must attend a work service program and a hospital morgue program. The boys cannot drive, will have a curfew and must write a letter of apology. The court also granted probation officers the right to search and seize the boys’ property if necessary, according to the Star-News.

The boys initially denied the killing and had faced the possibility of up to 11 years at a juvenile facility, the Star-News reported. The boys’ names were not released because of their ages. Gabriel Crispo, who taught English as a second language, was struck and killed by a vehicle involved in a street race while jogging with his dog and girlfriend July 4, police said.

Crispo was struck on Huntington Drive near Kenilworth Avenue around 10:35 a.m. on July 4, San Marino police Detective Vince Wilson said.

“Two vehicles were seen traveling at a high rate of speed westbound on Huntington Drive approaching Kenilworth Avenue,” Wilson said. “Witnesses stated the two vehicles appeared to be racing. The two vehicles collided, causing one of them to lose control, striking the pedestrian and his dog in the center median.”

Crispo was pronounced dead at the scene, Wilson said. Mayor Steven Huang called Crispo’s death “totally preventable and avoidable.”

“This was not an accident but the result of two juveniles entering our city, racing each other, resulting in the death of an innocent man,” Huang told City News Service.

Crispo was killed on “a day where we normally celebrate the birth of our nation, a day we celebrate with family, friends and our community,” Huang said.

“But instead three families now mourn the loss of an innocent man and the changed lives of two juveniles who now must live with this tragedy for the rest of their lives,” Huang said.