LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Oh'Ryan Brooks, the man accused of killing 12-year-old Cristofer Suarez in a hit-and-run crash, pleaded guilty to failing to stop at the scene as part of a plea agreement on Monday morning.
The plea means Brooks could serve two to 20 years in prison. He is also required to pay $6,953.31 in restitution to Martina Suarez, Cristofer's mother.
Jhovani Carrillo reports the latest development in the case:
Brooks entered his plea before Judge Maria Gall. During the hearing, Gall asked Brooks directly how he pleaded to the charge of failing to stop at the scene of a crash involving death or personal injury.
"Guilty," Brooks said.
The plea comes more than four months after Christopher Suarez was killed near Eastern and Owens last October.
"My son did not deserve that at all," Martina Suarez said.
Suarez has attended every hearing in the case. She typically speaks with the media after court proceedings, but Monday's news hit her differently. She said she wished the case had gone to trial.
"He should get life. He should get life, or at least the age my son was," Suarez said.
Channel 13 sat down with Suarez last week, and she expressed frustration about the court process.
"This ruined my whole life, and he is going to get out, and he is still going to be young," Suarez said. "I wanted him to hear exactly what he did — him and his family hear exactly how badly he hurt my son."
Alyssa Bethencourt hears from Martina Suarez about the plea deal for the driver accused of killing her son:
Despite the plea agreement, Suarez said she will not stop fighting for her son.
"For me to be able to grieve my son correctly and have closure, I need to know, and I need to make sure that I did everything that I could," Suarez said.
Brooks is scheduled to be sentenced on April 6.
Cristofer's case is among other high-profile cases to end in plea agreements. The case against former Las Vegas Raiders player Henry Ruggs III and the crash that killed Arbor View High School student McKenzie Scott also ended in negotiated plea deals.
Each brought prison time, but also renewed debate about whether Nevada's penalties go far enough.
In an interview with 13 chief investigator Darcy Spears, Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson said plea deals eliminate the risk of trial errors and appeals.
"We have to plea bargain 99% of the cases. That's the reality," Wolfson said.
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