‘Give him justice’: As Lisa Spoors is sentenced, victim’s family fights for more
FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – Lisa Spoors, who pleaded guilty to felony vehicular manslaughter and felony hit-and-run, has been sentenced to a maximum of five years in prison with time served.
Police say in October 2022, they responded to Hoover High School for a report of a student who had been hit by a car. The student was identified as Rashad Al-Hakim Junior.
Everything that led up to Lisa Spoors’ sentencing in hit-and-run death of 15-year-old student
After a two-year-long battle in court that saw Spoors in and out of jail, Spoors was finally sentenced to five years in prison on April 10.
The family of Rashad Al-Hakim Junior was devastated after hearing the sentence. Dozens of family members filled the courtroom, flooded with emotions as they made their case for a longer sentence.
Spoors was initially charged with DUI and fleeing the scene, the DUI was the second on their record, and added an additional murder charge to their list of charges.
However, those charges were dropped after Spoors reached a plea deal in February. Rashad’s mother Ragina Bell is asking for the deal to be called off.
‘You stole my world’: Mom of Hoover High student killed reacts to Spoors’ bail reduction
Many waited for Spoors to be in prison for life after they pleaded guilty to hitting Rashad as he was crossing the street outside Hoover High School on Oct. 4 -he died a week later in the hospital.
“Don’t give her an opportunity to break someone else’s family, because mine is forever broken. Nothing in my life will ever be the same. I am not who I was, and life is not what it was. I will never get my son back. The least you can do is give him justice,” she said.
The family describes Rashad as someone who would light up a room, who loved his family, basketball, video games, and school, and they were excited about what was ahead for him.
His mother says Spoors should be behind bars for life after she says they cut his life short.
“I will never get to see him go to prom, graduate, drive a car, have children, get married.”
In their sentencing, Spoors says they accept the consequences of their actions and acknowledge the family’s grief.
“I want to acknowledge the family’s sense of loss and overwhelming grief felt for the life that was lost,” said Lisa Spoors. “I accept the consequences of my actions.”
However, although Spoors was sentenced to five years in prison, they were also given 860 days of time credits. According to their lawyer, with those, Spoors will serve just 16 months in prison.
