A Marin County Superior Court judge denied diversion for a 17-year-old driver who sought to avoid prosecution after a crash killed four teenage passengers.
Judge James Chou declined Monday to grant the defendant in a deadly crash in Woodacre the option of rehabilitation instead of criminal prosecution, with the 17-year-old Fairfax girl charged in the deaths of four teenage passengers on April 18.
The victims killed were 14-year-old Olive Koren, 15-year-old Sienna Katz, 15-year-old Josalyn Osborn, and 15-year-old Ada Kepley.
The driver was Elsa Laremont Stranczek, 16, who was in 10th grade.
The other survivor was Marley Barclay, 14, who told police she saw oncoming headlights.
More than a dozen people spoke to Marin County Superior Court Judge James T. Chou before he made his decision, with some asking him to give the driver a chance to avoid further prosecution and others arguing she should be held accountable.
Christie Batanides, the mother of Josalyn Osborn, said her daughter had a caring nature and a custom of filling every room with laughter and energy, telling Chou “No sentence you’ll impose today will bring Josalyn back,” and calling upon him to deny diversion for the defendant, saying “Accountability matters because actions have consequences.”
Peg Minicozzi, Katz’s mother and a local teacher, told the judge that losing her daughter, as a single mother, “has been the most devastating and heartbreaking experience of my life,” and said she felt strongly that juvenile diversion was insufficient for a case like this, noting that “Accountability is one of the most important lessons we teach our children.”
But not all families wanted prosecution.
Gail and Bruce Koren, grandparents of Olive Koren, said their granddaughter would not want her friend to have any further punishment, saying “This is her legacy of how she cared for people.”
Jessica Glantz, Marley Barclay’s mother, agreed, saying that both she and her daughter believe the driver deserves diversion for rehabilitation, stating “This was a horrible tragedy born from an accident, not from malice.”
Before the ruling, Stranczek addressed the courtroom herself.
She acknowledged her role as the driver, noting that she’s mourned the loss of her four friends every day since the crash, and said “Regardless of the outcome, I’ll spend the rest of my life trying to honor my friends and their memory.”
According to the source article, at the crash scene, Stranczek’s first words to one victim’s parent were “My mom’s going to kill me… I wrecked the car.”
Chou said “This has been one of the saddest and most difficult cases I ever encountered,” and noted he had to weigh the evidence, state law, the impacts of the lost lives and the county probation department’s finding that the defendant is eligible for diversion.
Stranczek had sought diversion under California’s mental health diversion program, a law that allows eligible defendants to avoid traditional prosecution and instead complete rehabilitation requirements.
The diversion request focused on a law that some critics have called the “Epstein loophole”—originally designed to help defendants get mental health treatment—but which had been used to allow some defendants facing serious charges to avoid prosecution.
The driver was charged in October 2025 with misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter without gross negligence and also faces two infractions, for driving at a speed unsafe for prevailing conditions and driving with a provisional license with passengers under 20 years old, without a licensed parent or guardian.
Investigators had concluded speeding was the primary cause of the crash.
The 16-year-old driver in the Woodacre crash that killed four teenage girls in April lost control while traveling at least 60 mph along a sharp turn in a 40 mph zone, according to a conclusion by the California Highway Patrol.
In the viral moment that preceded Monday’s ruling, investigators with the California Highway Patrol said the vehicle’s speedometer had melted into a position indicating around 60 mph after it struck a redwood tree on San Geronimo Valley Road near Woodacre on April 18.
A CHP report stated that there was no evidence the driver, who sustained severe burns, of a 2021 Volkswagen Tiguan veered off westbound San Geronimo Valley Road between Fairfax and Woodacre to avoid an oncoming vehicle, which was a scenario considered after a 14-year-old survivor of the crash told police they saw headlights just before the collision.
Investigators said the driver’s mother knew her daughter planned to drive her friends from Fairfax to Woodacre, where they planned to sleep over at Katz’s home, despite her restrictive driver’s license.
The crash sent shockwaves through the Marin County communities that spring.
The incident sent shockwaves through the greater Ross Valley and West Marin communities, with a day after the crash, more than 300 people joined a vigil.
Defense attorney Charles Dresow had argued in court that Stranczek deserved diversion based on her demonstrated remorse and rehabilitation efforts. He pointed out she had kept a high GPA and worked as a paid intern.
Chou ultimately denied diversion, and the teen will continue to face prosecution as a juvenile, and she could face up to a year in juvenile detention.
Her next hearing is scheduled for August 24.