Tears flowed freely Thursday for the living and the dead when a juvenile involved in a fatal collision Feb. 23 on an Everett street was sentenced to as much as two years in a juvenile institution.
Joseph Dale Hecht, 17, of Everett was given an incentive by Judge Gerald Knight, who sat in Snohomish County Juvenile Court, to work hard on rehabilitation programs while behind bars.
If Hecht does well, he could be set free in about a year or so. If not, he could do as much as 108 weeks.
But the judge reminded a courtroom full of people, many who wept openly, that no matter what sentence he imposes, it won’t bring back the three lives snuffed out with the "insanity" and "madness" of street racing and high-speed driving that led to the collision.
Hecht had been driving a slower vehicle than companion Grant Fosheim, 20, of Everett, who was racing his Ford Mustang at about 80 mph when it plowed into a van driven by antiques dealer Jenny McCollum, 52, also of Everett.
She had been driving from her shop on Broadway to her home when her van was smashed at the intersection of 23rd Street and Wetmore Avenue.
Two passengers in Foshiem’s Mustang, Michael Seavy, 20, and Cory Baudry, 18, both of Everett, also were killed.
Fosheim had been drinking and had a blood alcohol level of more than twice the legal limit.
Last week, Fosheim pleaded guilty to three counts of vehicular homicide and will be sentenced later this month in adult court, where he faces five to seven years in prison.
Michael Seavy’s mother and stepfather spoke Thursday, urging the judge to give Hecht a long term and to send a message to other youths who show disregard for human life.
Tearfully, Kathy Weber, now of Mount Vernon, described her son as a person who loved people, and one who was loved by those he met.
"He had this art to make everybody laugh," she said. When she was told Seavy had been killed, "my dreams, my whole life changed forever. That life I had before, it doesn’t exist anymore. Michael was the love of my life."
It’s a parent’s responsibility to hold the hand of a child in pain, she observed, "and I wanted that night to hold his hand."
She criticized the state’s sentencing guidelines for juveniles, saying the range of between 45 and 108 weeks behind bars is not enough.
"The guidelines are inadequate for this kind of disregard from a human being," she said.
She also corrected court papers, which said that Hecht, Fosheim and the others had been attending a birthday party for Seavy. It was Seavy’s birthday, but the fact that he attended the party was just a coincidence, she told the judge.
Seavy’s stepfather, Jim Weber, faced Hecht. He said it could have been Hecht’s truck that slammed into McCollum’s van, except that he had a slower vehicle.
"You screwed up royal," he said, asking Hecht to turn and look at the gathered relatives of the three victims.
"We are the people whose lives you’ve ruined," Weber added.
The defendant’s mother, Dale Hecht of Everett, said her son is aching, and no sentence will make the pain disappear.
"My son is a good boy," she said, adding that her entire family apologizes for the tragedy.
The younger Hecht’s father, Pat Sable of Everett, also apologized.
"This is not a throwaway kid," Sable said. "This is not the time to throw away his life or a big part of it."
Knight agreed with the advice of Denney Juvenile Justice Center probation officer Mike Little, who told the judge a sentence like this is about incarceration and rehabilitation. Little recommended making the sentence indefinite to give Hecht incentive to work hard in rehabilitation programs while behind bars.
Knight said he had only one lesson to deliver.
"With choice comes consequence," the judge said, "and that’s the message I want to send."
Reporter Jim Haley: 425-339-3447 or haley@heraldnet.com.
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