MORROW, Ga. — A teen accused of killing her friend in a crash on I-75 in Morrow last year accepted a plea deal in court, Monday.
Christina Pavon-Baker will serve 15 years for the crash that left her friend 18-year-old Makayla Penn dead.
Pavon-Baker will spend 36 months in Clayton County Jail before completing the rest of her sentence on probation. Had she been found guilty during a jury trial, she could have faced up to 15 years in prison.
The teen's attorney Jackie Patterson told 11Alive Pavon-Baker accepted the plea deal because she felt remorseful and wanted to take full responsibility for what happened.
"I miss her every single day," Christina Pavon-Baker previously said in an interview with attorneys. "I honestly wish it was me instead of her. I just don't know how - I can't express how sorry I am that the whole accident happened."
According to investigators, Pavon-Baker and Makayla Penn were riding north on I-75 in a Mini-Cooper when Pavon-Baker drove off the road in a sharp curve near the Jonesboro Road exit and crashed. Penn was trapped inside the car and was pronounced dead at the scene.
The District Attorney's office said Pavon-Baker, then 17, was driving 106 mph and was using Snapchat just before the crash.
The teens were both students at Community Christian School but were not in class because of what students call a "senior skip day." Headmaster Fred Banke said it's really an excused absence where the senior class has the freedom to do things like college visits.
Pavon-Baker had faced one count each of first degree vehicular manslaughter, speeding and reckless driving. It's unclear which charges she pleaded guilty to as part of the plea agreement.
In addition to jail time, Pavon-Baker will also have to pay $1,000 in fines and participate in community service. Her sentence began Monday.
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