MILWAUKEE — A 20-year-old woman is facing 11 felony charges in connection to a crash that left five people dead, including a 1-year-old.
Anteyona Jazmine Sandifer is facing four counts of second-degree reckless homicide, five counts of knowingly operating a motor vehicle without a valid license causing death, and one count of second-degree recklessly endangering safety.
The charges are in connection to a crash that happened just before midnight Sunday in the 6000 block of W. Fond Du Lac Ave., according to a news release from police.
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A criminal complaint states a Dodge Journey was traveling south on N. 60th Street when a Kia Sedona, allegedly driven by Sandifer, ran a red light while traveling west on W. Fond Du Lac Ave. The Kia crashed into the Dodge, spun out, and struck a traffic pole.
Several people were ejected from the vehicle. Five people, all of who were in Sandifer's vehicle, died. Four were pronounced dead on the scene, and one died at the hospital.
The victims who died at the scene are 1-year-old Aniya Robinson, who was not in a car seat at the time of the crash, two 15-year-old girls, Mikayla Rattler and Mercedez Brown-Weeks, and 17-year-old Israel Williams, according to the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's Office. A 32-year-old Milwaukee man was also pronounced dead later Monday morning. The medical examiner identified him as Lorenzo Trotter.
According to a criminal complaint, when investigating, an MPD officer responded to Froedtert where Sandifer was being treated for her injuries. She did not give a statement to police but when told she was being placed under arrest, she "asked why she was being placed in custody when someone hit her."
A complaint states the Kia was going 30-35mph over the speed limit at the time of the crash. Sandifer was also driving with a suspended license, according to the criminal complaint. However, during intake court on Friday, it was revealed she never had a driver's license in Wisconsin or any other state.
During her initial appearance Friday, Assistant District Attorney Arthur Thexton said Sandifer has no prior criminal record, but she was cited in 2019 by Milwaukee Police for driving without a license and speeding.
"If she was paying attention to her driving, she wouldn't have been doing 30 to 35 miles an hour over the limit and running the red light, which we have on video," said Thexton.
He also said Sandifer never checked to see if any of her passengers in the Sedona, including the one-year-old girl, were wearing seat belts or in a car seat.
Defense Attorney Elizabeth Ellsworth-Kasch said because schools don't offer driver's education programs, Sandifer never had the chance to get a license. And, Ellsworth-Kasch said, the mother of the child never gave Sandifer a car seat to use.
Ellsworth-Kasch asked for a cash bond of $5,000 so Sandifer could be with her family as they mourn and as they encounter funeral expenses. The two 15-year-old girls killed in the crash are her sister and cousin.
"I think in the interest of party involved, everyone who lost someone would be significantly advanced by allowing Anteyona to grieve, assist and be a family member and experience this loss with the others who did, too," said Ellsworth-Kasch.
The court, however, agreed with the state's recommendation of $500,000 citing the seriousness of the charges.
If convicted on all the charges, Sandifer faces a maximum sentence of 165 years in prison. Her preliminary hearing is scheduled for May 25th.
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