A California man who killed a 12-year-old after running her over while speeding on a jet ski was scolded by a judge for his disturbing court behavior as he learned his fate.
Arsanyous Refat Ghaly, 20, who pled guilty to vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence last month was sentenced on Friday to nearly eight months in custody and two years of probation for the killing of Savannah Peterson.
After showing up to his sentencing 45 minutes late, Ghaly could only look to the floor as Superior Court Judge Polly Shamoon criticized statements he made.
Shamoon said Ghaly wrongfully placed blame on the victim and expressed unnecessary concerns regarding the consequences of his plea during an earlier interview with a probation officer.
'The first words out of your mouth to probation during that interview should have been, "I’m so sorry for what I did, I have such regrets about the decisions I’ve made that day and they will forever haunt me. And I will do better,"' Shamoon said.
'Instead they were, "Do you think the judge is going to suspend my driver’s license?" That was your concern.'
Shamoon also noted she felt Ghaly was 'not taking this seriously.'
Ghaly, who was fighting back tears during the Friday sentencing, apologized to the young girl's family and Shamoon for being late, as he claimed he 'was too worried and anxious to come in'.
'I wanted to give my condolences before [to the victim's family], but I didn't know how or when it was appropriate. I never meant for any of this to happen,' he added tearfully.
Arsanyous Refat Ghaly, 20, who plead guilty to vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence in a hearing last month was sentenced to nearly eight months in custody and two years of probation for the killing of Savannah Peterson
Twelve-year-old Savannah Peterson was paddle boarding in Mission Bay, San Diego in July of 2023, when she was struck by the jet ski Ghaly was driving
Twelve-year-old Savannah was paddle boarding in Mission Bay, San Diego, in July 2023 when she was struck by the jet ski Ghaly was driving.
Ghaly, who was 18 at the time of the crash, was said to be driving at between 47 and 53mph in an 5mph zone, the prosecution said.
Savannah died from several injuries including blunt force trauma to the head.
Savannah's parents, Ashley and Mark, who had moved to San Diego just two months before their daughter's tragic death, also spoke before the San Diego Superior Court expressing their extreme heartbreak and devastation.
Ashley tearfully said her daughter was 'kind, witty and driven,' and had ambitions for college and beyond, including her wildest dreams of someday playing professional soccer.
She also stated that her daughter dreamt of a career teaching high school theater and coaching soccer.
Mark, who was overseas with the Navy when he received the heart-shattering news, said he was robbed of an opportunity to say goodbye to his daughter who he claimed was his 'best friend.'
The grieving father called the crash 'the result of sheer and unchecked stupidity, and disregard by the defendant and many others for the lives of people in the bay [and] for the life of my daughter.'
'My daughter was killed by the defendant and if he did not kill her, he would have killed someone else.'
Ghaly, who was 18 at the time of the crash, was said to be driving at between 47-53mph in an 5pmh area, the prosecution said. Peterson died from several injuries including blunt force trauma to the head
Savannah's parents, Ashley and Mark, who had moved to San Diego just two months before their daughter's tragic death, also spoke before the San Diego Superior Court expressing their extreme heartbreak and devastation
The Peterson's also filed a wrongful death lawsuit naming Ghaly, the city and county of San Diego and several others as defendants
The Petersons also filed a wrongful death lawsuit naming Ghaly, the city and county of San Diego and several others as defendants.
The suit claims lifeguards allowed Ghaly to 'operate the jet ski at an excessive rate of speed and out of control in the direction of Decedent until the Incident occurred.'
The complaint alleges that lifeguards had seen Ghaly and his friends driving at high speeds and had warned them to slow down just 10 minutes before the fatal crash.
Also named as defendants are the two people who allegedly rented the jet ski to Ghaly despite him not having a California Boaters' card.
The jet skies were rented through a website called OfferUp, per the lawsuit, which also names the company as a defendant.