Teen driver, 17, faces parents of four girls killed in crash as judge blocks ‘Epstein loophole’ bid

A teen driver accused of killing four of her friends while speeding to a slumber party told one of the girls’ parents at the scene, “My mom’s going to kill me,” a court has heard.

Elsa Laremont Stranczek, 17, had been trying to get out of charges by going on a mental health diversion program — a California law that allows eligible defendants to avoid traditional prosecution.

But Marin County Superior Court Judge James T. Chou denied the request Monday, leaving her to face prosecution for misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter in juvenile court, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Before learning her fate, the teen faced the grief left by the April 2025 car crash as relatives of the four girls killed confronted her in a packed courtroom.

Christie Batanides, whose 15-year-old daughter Josalyn “Josy” Osborn died, recalled arriving at the crash scene and standing feet from the burning car, knowing her child was trapped inside.

“I can not adequately describe the horror of standing there, knowing my child was inside,” Batanides said, adding Stranczek’s first words were: “My mom’s going to kill me… I wrecked the car.”

“You had no concern for your friends,” Batanides told her.

Stranczek, who suffered severe burns in the crash and reportedly does not remember the accident, stood and spoke to the courtroom for the first time.

She acknowledged her role behind the wheel and said she had mourned her four friends every day since their deaths.

“Regardless of the outcome, I’ll spend the rest of my life trying to honor my friends and their memory,” she said.

The deadly journey began when the group piled into the teen’s car in downtown Fairfax and set off toward Woodacre for a Friday night sleepover.

Just minutes before they arrived, the driver lost control on a curve on San Geronimo Valley Road and slammed into a redwood tree, causing the car to burst into flames.

Ada Kepley, Olive Koren, Sienna Katz and Josalyn were killed. Marley Barclay was the only passenger to survive the crash.

California Highway Patrol investigators blamed speed for the crash, estimating the car was traveling roughly 60 to 65 mph on the 40 mph road.

Investigators could not retrieve information from the vehicle’s black box because it was destroyed in the fire.

They instead relied partly on the speedometer, which had melted into a position indicating a speed of around 60 mph.

That conclusion has divided the victims’ families and raised questions about what happened in the moments before impact.

Stranczek has maintained she saw headlights from what she believed was an oncoming vehicle shortly before the wreck, though CHP was unable to substantiate those claims.

Defense attorney Charles Dresow insisted she had demonstrated remorse and pointed to the probation department’s recommendation that she receive diversion.

She cooperated with probation, kept a 3.73 GPA, and worked as a paid intern for the Youth Transforming Justice Institute in San Rafael.

Chou ultimately sided against diversion after weighing the teen’s circumstances against the need for accountability.

“This has been one of the saddest and most difficult cases that I have encountered in my 37 years of practicing law,” Chou said. “It is a tragedy beyond tragedies.”

His decision did little to bridge the divide between families over how the case should end. “Nothing will bring my girl back, but at least there will be some accountability,” said Sienna’s mother, Peg Minicozzi.

Olive’s grandfather, Bruce Koren, came away with the opposite reaction, arguing that questions about the investigation had still not been resolved.

“Today was not just a loss for [the driver],” he told the outlet. “It was a loss for the truth.”

The teen is due back in court later this month.

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