Re: Former Miss Teen USA, Kari Ann Peniche in Sex Tape with Rebecca Gayheart and Eric
On June 13, 2001, Gayheart struck and fatally injured nine-year-old Jorge Cruz, Jr., as he jaywalked across a Los Angeles-area street. According to the police report, the child was walking home from school and ran across the street approximately 160 feet from a crosswalk. The vehicles in front of Gayheart stopped to permit Cruz to cross. Unwilling to wait, Gayheart maneuvered her vehicle around the other cars, pulling into a two-way left-turn lane to pass them and struck the boy with her vehicle. Her attorney, Steven Lerman, subsequently admitted Gayheart had been using a cell phone during impact.[9]
Cruz died the next day at Los Angeles Children's Hospital. His parents, Jorge Cruz and Silvia Martinez, filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against her on August 6, 2001, seeking coverage of medical and funeral expenses, and compensation for loss of future earnings. The lawsuit was settled out of court, and settlement terms were not disclosed.[9]
Gayheart also faced criminal charges in the incident, and while awaiting that outcome, she was involved in another auto accident. Her father attributed the second accident in part to her anxiety over both the first accident and her resulting criminal case. He commented that he and his wife did not intend to allow their daughter to drive any longer.[10]
On November 27, 2001, Gayheart pleaded no contest to vehicular manslaughter in the death of Jorge Cruz, Jr. She was sentenced to three years' probation, a one-year suspension of her license, a $2,800 fine, and 750 hours of community service. She was also ordered to make a public-service announcement regarding the danger of a driver not stopping when other vehicles in front of the driver have stopped.
