EVERETT – A Puyallup teenager was sentenced this afternoon to about two years in juvenile detention for the Ecstasy overdose death of a classmate in 2007.
Donalydia Huertas, 19, was accused of providing drugs to Danielle McCarthy, 16, during a night of partying. Huertas failed to get medical help for McCarthy who showed signs of overdosing for hours. McCarthy was eventually taken to Stevens Hospital in Edmonds, where doctors determined she had died.
Snohomish County Superior Court Judge Ellen Fair agreed today that the standard juvenile sentence would have been a manifest injustice.
Huertas could have faced nearly six years in prison. Under juvenile rules, her standard sentence was between zero and 30 days in juvenile detention.
For more than a year attorneys have argued about Huertas’ culpability in her classmate’s death.
Snohomish County deputy prosecutors said Huertas, not only gave McCarthy Ecstasy, but she also prevented McCarthy from getting help that could have saved the girl’s life.
They have argued that Huertas, 17 at the time, should be held accountable as an adult. They said she hasn’t taken any responsibility for her actions.
Huertas’ attorney argued the teen never intended to harm McCarthy. His client didn’t understand how serious the situation had become. He argued that Huertas should be treated as a juvenile.
Prosecutors initially charged Huertas in juvenile court with controlled substance homicide. The case was moved to adult court after plea negotiations broke down and Huertas was charged with first-degree manslaughter. That offense automatically sent the case to adult court.
The jury could not agree on first-degree manslaughter charge. Instead, they convicted Huertas of the lesser second-degree manslaughter charge. That crime on its own was not serious enough to keep the case in adult court.
Although she was tried and convicted in adult court, Huertas got a break on punishment because of the jury’s verdict and her age at the time of the crime.
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