A teen driver who killed four friends while allegedly speeding to a slumber party told one of the girls’ parents at the scene, “My mom’s going to kill me … I wrecked the car,” according to shocking testimony.
Elsa Laremont Stranczek, 17, was in court to try to dodge trial by going into a mental-health diversion program — which under California law allows eligible defendants to use to avoid traditional prosecution.
But Marin County Superior Court Judge James Chou denied the request Monday, leaving Stranczek to face prosecution for misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter in juvenile court, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
She faces up to a year in a juvenile-detention facility if convicted, reports said.
Before learning her fate, the teen was faced with the relatives of the four girls killed in April 2025 crash involving Stranczek’s black Volkswagen Tiguan SUV.
Christie Batanides, whose 15-year-old daughter Josalyn “Josy” Osborn died, recalled for the packed courtroom how she arrived at the crash scene and stood feet from the burning car, knowing her child was in it.
“I cannot adequately describe the horror of standing there, knowing my child was inside,” Batanides said.
The shattered mom said Stranczek’s first words to her were: “My mom’s going to kill me… I wrecked the car.”
Batanides told her in court, “You had no concern for your friends.”
Stranczek, who suffered severe burns in the crash and reportedly does not remember the accident, also stood and spoke to the courtroom for the first time.
She acknowledged her role behind the wheel and said she had mourned her four friends every day since their deaths.
“Regardless of the outcome, I’ll spend the rest of my life trying to honor my friends and their memory,” she said.
The deadly journey began when the group piled into the teen’s car in downtown Fairfax and set off toward Woodacre for a Friday night sleepover.
Just minutes before they arrived, the driver lost control on a curve on San Geronimo Valley Road and slammed into a redwood tree, causing the car to burst into flames.
Ada Kepley, Olive Koren, Sienna Katz and Josalyn were killed. Marley Barclay was the only passenger to survive the crash.
California Highway Patrol investigators blamed speed for the crash, estimating the car was traveling roughly 60 to 65 mph on the 40 mph road.
Investigators could not retrieve information from the vehicle’s black box because it was destroyed in the fire.
They instead relied partly on the speedometer, which had melted into a position indicating a speed of around 60 mph.
That conclusion has divided the victims’ families and raised questions about what happened in the moments before impact.
Stranczek has maintained she saw headlights from what she believed was an oncoming vehicle shortly before the wreck, though CHP was unable to substantiate those claims.
