AMHERST, N.Y. (WKBW) — A Colden teenager now admits she caused the crash that killed her three passengers in 2023.
19-year-old Jayla Mueller pleaded guilty Tuesday afternoon to multiple charges including three counts of Manslaughter.
Mueller admits she was speeding the night of February 20 on the John James Audubon Parkway in Amherst when she lost control of the vehicle on the ramp onto Millersport Highway.
Prosecutors say the reckless driving is what caused the deaths of 18-year-old Azathiel Pabon, 19-year-old Isabella French, and 20-year-old Dakota Eldridge. All three victims were ejected from the vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene.
Mueller and a fourth passenger, a 17-year-old boy, were taken to ECMC for non-life-threatening injuries.
The judge committed to sentencing Mueller as a youthful offender as long as she remains arrest-free, complies with the pre-sentence investigation, and appears in court for sentencing. Prosecutors say they intend to request that the court impose the maximum sentence.
As a youthful offender, Mueller faces a maximum of four years in prison when she is sentenced on July 8. If she is not granted youthful offender status, she faces up to 15 years in prison.
