A judge ruled that a man accused of street racing in Redwood City, resulting in the death of a San Carlos couple, will be tried as a juvenile, San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said.
Cesar Morales was 17 at the time of the crash and is now an adult. The judge weighed a variety of factors in making the decision, including seriousness of the crime, prior record and amenability to treatment, Wagstaffe said.
The ruling means he will face a maximum of six years if convicted, Wagstaffe said — far less than 23-year old co-defendant Kyle Harrison, who was allegedly racing him at the time of the crash and is also charged with second-degree murder.
Harrison, an adult, could face 15 years to life in prison if convicted, a sentencing disparity Wagstaffe acknowledged would play a role in the DA’s next steps.
“What we do when we sit down to decide how we should resolve his case — there’s a certain factor of fairness that will be considered,” he said. “We will consider that. We’ll do whatever we feel is just.”
Morales, alongside 23-year-old Kyle Harrison, who did not know each other, are accused of going more than 80 mph while racing on El Camino Real in Redwood City in November 2022, T-boning a car and killing Greg Ammen, 44, and Grace Spiridon, 42.
Their 7-year-old twin daughters survived the crash.
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