News Story:

This particular news story speaks to the heart; it gets at the core of why illegal street racing is irresponsible, reckless and criminal. It depicts all sides of the story - the victims' families, defendants, defendants' families, witnesses, the judge presiding over the case, attorneys, and local law enforcement.

On August 9th, 2003, two students from Bend High School in Oregon lost their lives. They were killed in a crash after racing around a dangerous curve on Alfalfa Market Road and losing control. After sliding sideways, the black Mitsubishi eclipse struck a minivan, injuring that driver. The teens were fleeing from an illegal street race that was broken up by law enforcement. In the scurry from Four Corners, the teens exceeded speeds suitable for the curvy road.

The verdict was somewhat controversial because the two young men charged in the case got two very different sentences. Randall Scott Clifford, 21, was driving the car in front of Danielle Gates, 16, and Stephanie Beeksma, 15, the two girls who died that night. He saw the accident in his rearview mirror, turned around, and proceeded to take the necessary measures to control the situation. He had witnesses call 911, directed traffic to avoid further accidents, attempted to help injured victims, and answered questions for police when they arrived on the scene. Clifford pled guilty to the criminally negligent homicide and was sentenced to up to six months in jail (or work release) and three years probation. He also underwent counseling, community service, and decided to spend his time speaking to teens about the dangers of reckless driving. 

David Allen Black, 20, of Bend, Oregon was found guilty of second degree manslaughter and eight other charges. He left and came back supposedly after hearing that police were recording license plates at the scene. Black pled NOT guilty to the charges so his case went to trial. Because he didn't take the plea bargain, he was tried under Measure 11*. He received 72 months along with a several much shorter terms for lesser charges of felony hit and run, reckless driving, third degree assault and five accounts of reckless endangerment to be served simultaneously. Both defendants had their licenses revoked for eight years and had to reimburse Beeksma's grandfather for the cost of funeral arrangements.

Families, friends, neighbors, and people around the community had their views on what happened. Those who openly expressed it, wanted to place blame on the surviving teens involved with the racing, and in particular, the ones fleeing the race with Danielle Gates, Stephanie Beeksma, and Katie Reznick. For more on this story, and the quotes of family members and friends of the victims and defendants click here:
News Article 1 or News Article 2

*Measure 11 was passed in Oregon in 1994 stating that individuals accused of certain crimes would absolutely receive the minimum mandatory sentence for said crime. Furthermore, there is no possibility of reducing the sentence, even on grounds of good behavior. Thus, a person charged with Manslaughter II would get this verdict no matter if it were an accident or not.