GREEN BAY (NBC26) — On Oct. 30, 2022, Sienna Pecore was 15 years old and drove her mother's car over 100 miles per hour. Prosecutors say Pecore then crashed the car at Mason and Oneida Streets, resulting in the death of a passenger, then-17-year-old Cruz Beltran.
- Judge John Zakowski handed down a sentence of 15 years total: 9 years in prison and 6 years of extended supervision
- Pecore pled guilty to second-degree reckless homicide and recklessly endangering safety
- Video shows Pecore and the victim's mother addressing the court at the sentencing hearing
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
We're at the Brown County Courthouse, where 17-year-old Sienna Pecore was sentenced to 15 years total, after being convicted of killing Cruz Beltran while driving more than 100 miles per hour.
The judge handed down a sentence of nine years in prison and six of extended supervision.
Prosecutors say Pecore was 15 years old in October of 2022, when she took her mother's car without permission or a license and crashed it at a busy Green Bay intersection — killing Beltran, who was 17.
Pecore pled guilty to second-degree reckless homicide and recklessly endangering safety.
She addressed the court and Cruz's family tearfully.
"I know that you want to make an example out of me and my case," Pecore said, "but I ask that you make the example that a person can overcome the odds, rehabilitate, face the consequences of their actions, and still have a fulfilling life that is full with love."
Two of the victim's sisters asked for justice for their brother.
Cruz's mother did as well — and also spoke directly to Pecore.
"I want to tell you that you I do forgive you, because I was a child once too, and I made stupid choices and had to suffer my consequences," Michelle Saldana said.
Judge John Zakowski said he weighed Pecore's youth and lack of a stable childhood home, with her reckless and dangerous decision-making.
"All these good qualities, and your remorse," Zakowski said, "[but] you shouldn't have been driving, took the car without permission ... and then after that, you did not stay there ... and the punishment has to fit the crime."
Zakowski ultimately decided on 15 years — fewer total years than the state recommended, but one more year in prison.
Pecore has already served 530 days. If she serves the full remainder of her sentence, she'll be in prison until 2031.
After that, she'll transition to extended supervision.
