Virginia driver sentenced to 4 years in prison for crash that left 2 high school students dead

The driver convicted in a crash that left two northern Virginia high school students dead will serve four years in prison, a jury decided Friday.

After hearing emotional impact statements directly from the victims' families, and a remorseful final message from 20-year-old Usman Shahid, the jurors felt the punishment fit the crime.

Back in June 2022, Shahid – who was 18 at the time – was speeding on Blake Lane when he struck and killed 14-year-old Ada Nolasco and 15-year-old Leeyan Yan.

Nolasco, Yan, and a third victim who was seriously hurt but survived, were walking home from Oakton High School in Vienna when Shadid's 2018 BMW 530i collided with a 1997 Toyota 4Runner at the intersection. The girls were on the sidewalk when Shahid drove his car over the curb and hit them.

The crash happened days after Shahid graduated from high school.

Prosecutors said he did not have a license at the time. They also proved that Shahid's high speed and lack of evasive action to avoid the situation led to both the initial collision and Yan and Nolasco's deaths.

A crash expert also testified that the BMW Shahid was driving contained a data recorder indicating that he continued to accelerate, from 60 mph to 81 mph, in the five seconds immediately preceding the crash.

Commonwealth's Attorney Steve Descano called the case "one of the most tragic in Fairfax County's history."

"My heart breaks for the families, friends, and loved ones of these young girls. While there is nothing that can make up for such an immense loss, I hope that this conviction can help our community finally begin to heal from this tragedy," he said in a statement.

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Usman Shahid, now 20, has been convicted of two counts of involuntary manslaughter.

A judge has a chance to lower the sentence when it's finalized later this year.