Driver Found Guilty in Deaths of Two Girls During Car Chase

A driver was found guilty of murder Tuesday for killing two 9-year-old girls when he struck them with his car as he was being chased by the California Highway Patrol through a school zone.

Richard Alan Clements II, 19, was convicted of two counts of murder and one count of evading police.

He faces a possible sentence of life in prison when he is sentenced Sept. 20.

The mothers of the girls, best friends Christie Turner and Adina Gonzalez, expressed relief at the verdict.

“Justice has been served,” said Carol Gonzalez, as she fought back tears. “Now I can go to sleep and know that my little daughter didn’t die in vain, although her presence is missed.”

“My daughter loved her daughter,” Connie Turner said. “It was sad that they had to die together. I don’t know what to say. It’s just a no-win. This doesn’t bring my daughter back.”

Defense attorney Kerry Steigerwalt said he plans to appeal.

Clements was fleeing officers Dec. 9, 1998, when his pickup truck hit the girls as they walked home from Lemon Grove Elementary School at Lakeside, about 20 miles east of San Diego.

Clements, who was wanted for speeding and driving on the wrong side of the road, was trying to prove that his new Ford pickup was faster than any police car, prosecutor George Bennett told jurors.

Steigerwalt argued at trial that Clements suffers from brain damage incurred in a car accident several years ago. Clements has impaired motor skills and decision-making abilities as a result, he said.

CHP Officer Michael Clauser testified that he broke off the pursuit as they neared the school, but that Clements kept speeding and struck the girls.