Driver in fatal crash urged to live for pal

An Everett teen was urged Thursday to transform his blame for a friend’s death in a reckless-driving accident into a reason for building a life that would make his buddy proud.

The boy, 17, pleaded guilty to juvenile charges of vehicular homicide and fleeing the scene of an accident that on Sept. 27 ended the life of Shawn Elliott, 18.

“Consider this God’s wake-up call to you,” Karen Elliott, the slain teen’s mother, told the defendant. She asked the boy to learn from his mistake and to spend his time on earth “living for two.”

The 17-year-old was driving 60 mph in a 25-mph zone near Silver Lake in south Everett when he lost control of his car and it crashed into a truck. The impact sheared off one of the car’s doors. Elliott, a passenger, was ejected from the vehicle.

The 17-year-old had been drinking beer and didn’t have a driver’s license. He left his friend bleeding to death in the street as he fled, but surrendered to police the next day.

The teen on Thursday wept and apologized to Elliott’s family and friends. Judge Larry McKeeman sentenced him to between 71/2 months and 18 months in juvenile prison.

The length of the teen’s time behind bars will depend on his behavior, and how much he takes advantage of opportunities to get an education and substance abuse counseling, McKeeman said. The judge said he had earlier ruled to keep the teen’s case in juvenile court because he believed that to toss him into the adult criminal justice system would have thrown away another life.

Elliott’s family has consistently urged the court to extend compassion to the boy. McKeeman urged the teen to show them that their faith was not misplaced.

Elliott’s family and friends tearfully told the judge what it was like to have him gone. They listed the holidays Elliott won’t be around to celebrate, the smiles he can’t share, the career he never got the chance to start, the grandchildren he will never bring to visit.

Karen Elliott wept as she recounted what it was like to walk into a room and see her son, a sheet tucked up beneath his neck to cover the injuries that had ended his life.

“I kept thinking he’d wake up and give me a hug,” she said. “Instead, he got up and took the hand of an angel.”

She said Shawn Elliott is now watching his friend and that he wants him to succeed – for them both.

Talk to us

More in Local News

This photo provided by OceanGate Expeditions shows a submersible vessel named Titan used to visit the wreckage site of the Titanic. In a race against the clock on the high seas, an expanding international armada of ships and airplanes searched Tuesday, June 20, 2023, for the submersible that vanished in the North Atlantic while taking five people down to the wreck of the Titanic. (OceanGate Expeditions via AP)
A new movie based on OceanGate’s Titan submersible tragedy is in the works: ‘Salvaged’

MindRiot announced the film, a fictional project titled “Salvaged,” on Friday.

Craig Hess (Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office)
Sultan’s new police chief has 22 years in law enforcement

Craig Hess was sworn in Sep. 14. The Long Island-born cop was a first-responder on 9/11. He also served as Gold Bar police chief.

Cars move across Edgewater Bridge toward Everett on Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2023, in Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Edgewater Bridge redo linking Everett, Mukilteo delayed until mid-2024

The project, now with an estimated cost of $27 million, will detour West Mukilteo Boulevard foot and car traffic for a year.

Lynn Deeken, the Dean of Arts, Learning Resources & Pathways at EvCC, addresses a large gathering during the ribbon cutting ceremony of the new Cascade Learning Center on Thursday, Sept. 28, 2023, at Everett Community College in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
New EvCC learning resource center opens to students, public

Planners of the Everett Community College building hope it will encourage students to use on-campus tutoring resources.

Everett Police Chief Dan Templeman announces his retirement after 31 years of service at the Everett City Council meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2023 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Everett police chief to retire at the end of October

Chief Dan Templeman announced his retirement at Wednesday’s City Council meeting. He has been chief for nine years.

Boeing employees watch the KC-46 Pegasus delivery event  from the air stairs at Boeing on Thursday, Jan. 24, 2019 in Everett, Wa. (Andy Bronson / The Herald)
Boeing’s iconic Everett factory tour to resume in October

After a three-year hiatus, tours of the Boeing Company’s enormous jet assembly plant are back at Paine Field.

A memorial for a 15-year-old shot and killed last week is set up at a bus stop along Harrison Road on Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2023, in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Teen boy identified in fatal shooting at Everett bus stop

Bryan Tamayo-Franco, 15, was shot at a Hardeson Road bus stop earlier this month. Police arrested two suspects.

Representative Rick Larsen speaks at the March For Our Lives rally on Saturday, June 11, 2022 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Larsen: ‘Fractured caucus’ of House Republicans is ‘unable to lead’

Following removal of the House speaker, a shutdown still looms. Congress has until Nov. 17 to devise a spending plan.

Spada Lake is seen from Culmback Dam on Sunday, Oct. 1, 2023, near Sultan, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Helicopter crash in Copper Lake sparks environmental, health concerns

Rangers hadn’t heard of fly-in tourism in the area — which can harm the wilderness and people downstream, advocates say.

Arlington
Man charged with dealing fentanyl pills that led to Arlington overdose

Prosecutors charged Robin Clariday with controlled substance homicide. He allegedly handed Bradley Herron the pills outside a hotel.

Lynnwood
Seattle woman identified in fatal Highway 99 crash

Elena Mroczek, 74, was killed Sunday in a crash involving a 19-year-old.

A memorial for a 15-year-old shot and killed last week is set up at a bus stop along Harrison Road on Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2023, in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Rival gang members charged with killing Everett boy, 15, at bus stop

The two suspects are accused of premeditated first-degree murder in the death of Bryan Tamayo-Franco, 15.