Jennifer Levi said her 18-year-old son’s death “will haunt me with every breath” and she wants stricter laws against drunk driving. The county’s top prosecutor said he wants to send a message to dangerous drivers.
Mother dedicates her life to DWI education after losing three children
Dawn Simmons, a Louisiana mother who lost three children to drunk drivers, has dedicated her life to warning others about the dangers.
Arianna Triggs, USA TODAY
A California woman has been charged with murder for allegedly killing an 18-year-old high school tennis player while driving under the influence, and the boy’s mother has vowed to fight for stricter laws.
The Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office announced on Monday, December 29, that in addition to the misdemeanor charge of driving with a suspended license due to DUI, 33-year-old security guard Jenia Lesha Belt has been charged with felony counts of DUI murder and gross negligence manslaughter.
Belt is accused of fatally hitting Brown Levi as he was crossing Sepulveda Boulevard in the upscale Los Angeles area of Manhattan Beach around 12:45 a.m. on May 4. Levi, who was just weeks away from graduating from Loyola High School in the same city, was a nationally ranked tennis star who had recently won his fourth straight league title.
“This lawsuit represents an unimaginable loss not only to Brown-Levi’s family, but also to his school, his teammates, and the entire community that watched this outstanding young man build a bright future,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said in a news release. “Drunk driving is not a mistake; it is a gross disregard for human life.”
Belt is being held on $2 million bail and his arraignment is scheduled for January 13, but Hockman said he will seek a life sentence for Belt.
Belt’s acting public defender, Dana Lawrence Flaum, did not immediately respond to USA TODAY’s request for comment Tuesday.
Here’s what else you need to know about this tragic death, including what Levi’s mother is fighting for.
Brown Levi’s mother shares her pain and fights for change
Brown Levi’s mother, Jennifer Levi, said she had to act after her son’s death.
“The sensations, sights and smells of identifying my son’s body will never leave my mind, body and soul,” she said at a press conference Monday announcing the charges. “I won’t shut up.”
Levi said he supports a bill proposed by state Sen. Bob Archuleta that would restructure the state’s DUI sentencing and punishment laws. Archuleta’s oldest grandchild was killed late last year in a head-on crash caused by a suspected drunk driver.
“People were putting up Christmas trees and preparing for Christmas when I received a call that my granddaughter had died on the highway,” Archuleta said at a news conference. “These things have to stop.”
Loyola High Principal Jamal Adams told USA TODAY in an interview earlier this year that the Levi family lost their home in the Palisades fire and had moved to Manhattan Beach just four months before Brown-Levi was killed. Adams said Brown was “instrumental” in helping other young people recover from the tragedy and started peer-to-peer counseling efforts and retreats for those affected.
He called Levi an exceptional student and athlete.
“He was a humble young man who did a great job of drawing attention and bringing joy to those around him,” Adams said. “He was a vibrant part of our community and active in so many corners of our community.”
At a press conference on Monday, Los Angeles City Council member Tracy Park echoed Jennifer Levi’s call for stronger drunk driving laws, saying accountability “cannot be done arbitrarily, especially when the losses are significant and there are already red flags.”
“Brown should go home now after his first semester (at the University of Virginia) and spend his first vacation with his family while still evacuated by the Palisades fire,” Park said. “He should be planning for his future and not remembering his life was taken by a driver with a history of drunk driving and a suspended license. A driver who should never have been behind the wheel.”
District Attorney warns other driver of murder charge
According to a CalMatters study, traffic deaths in California have been steadily increasing over the past 15 years, in part because of drunk driving and repeated speeding. Meanwhile, the number of alcohol-related deaths has increased by half in the past decade, the study found.
“California’s current DUI laws are broken, weak, fail to protect families like ours, and are devastating,” Jennifer Levi said. “His death haunts me every day, every breath.”
Hockman said the state’s drunk-driving laws were considered some of the most advanced in the country 40 years ago, but have since fallen behind and are some of the weakest in the country. He said he would take the fight to Sacramento to strengthen them.
“We strongly encourage the Legislature to complete its work,” he said. “People’s lives are literally at stake.”
Hockman said the charges against Belt are a warning to anyone considering operating a “thousands of pounds of potentially lethal instruments” under the influence or at excessive speed.
“If you commit this incredibly dangerous act, you could be charged with murder,” he said.
