Man seeks lighter sentence after fatal crash

An attorney for the Wheatley Heights man who admitted to losing control of his car and killing his friend appeared in court to discuss the possibility of reducing his client's sentence Tuesday. The

News 12 Staff

Apr 13, 2016, 1:39 AM

Updated 3,069 days ago

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An attorney for the Wheatley Heights man who admitted to losing control of his car and killing his friend appeared in court to discuss the possibility of reducing his client's sentence Tuesday.
The victim's family opposes the move.
Carla Vanessa Flores, 19, died in the November 2014 crash after the car she was riding in sped out of control on Colonial Springs Road and slammed into a tree.
Brandon Charles, 20, pleaded guilty last year to manslaughter and recklessly driving the car. He was sentenced to three to nine years in prison.
At his sentencing, a judge told Charles that he was not opposed to sending him to a state prison rehab program if he were deemed eligible for it, but Department of Corrections officials did not rule in favor of his eligibility.
Flores' sister, Viviana Vetanco, says the family is upset because the case should have been laid to rest at sentencing. 
"We're here again because he wants to take back his plea," she says. "What he's saying is that his lawyer pretty much gave him false advice on what to expect, and he thought he was going to be in the shock program and released in six months."
Charles' attorney declined to comment on the case.