Redwood City street racer convicted of killing twins’ parents in crash

(KRON) — A street racer who caused a horrific crash that left twin girls orphaned pleaded no contest to vehicle manslaughter this week. Kyle Harrison, 25, of Redwood City, was racing his BMW against a teenager who was driving a Mercedes on El Camino Real when the Mercedes plowed into a family’s Chevrolet Bolt.

The deadly speed contest happened on Nov. 4, 2022 in Redwood City. Investigators said the street racers did not know each other, but when they stopped at the same red light, they revved their engines decided to race when the light turned green. The two vehicles were racing between 80-90 miles per hour when the Bolt was crushed and launched into the air, prosecutors said.

The Bolt’s driver, Grace Spiridon, and her husband, Gregory Ammen, were killed on impact. The parents were killed “instantly,” prosecutors wrote. Their 7-year-old twin daughters, Madison and Olivia, “miraculously survived” in the backseat, prosecutors wrote.

Spiridon was an avid runner and earned a double MBA from UC Berkeley and Columbia University. She was promoted at her job working for Google shortly before the collision. Spiridon and her family were attempting to drive to their home in San Carlos when the speeding Mercedes struck them.

The Mercedes driver, 17-year-old Cesar Morales, was also injured in the crash and found at the scene. Harrison drove off, but a witness recorded the BMW’s license plate number with her cellphone camera, prosecutors said.

Police found and arrested Harrison two weeks later.

The victims’ family’s attorney, Niall McCarthy, previously said, “This case arises from a brutal indifference to human life. The Bay Area has an epidemic of people who gamble with the lives of others by street racing.”

Morales is now 19 years old. Prosecutors fought to have his case transferred from juvenile court to adult court in June. San Mateo County Superior Court Judge Susan Irene Etezadi denied prosecutors’ request, and the case currently remains in juvenile court. Morales’ trial is set to begin in San Mateo County Juvenile Court on Thursday.

On Monday, Harrison pleaded no contest to engaging in a speed contest resulting in deaths and felony vehicular manslaughter. He will be sentenced by Judge Sean Dabel on December 2. Harrison is facing up nine years and four months in state prison.

A GoFundMe page raised half a million dollars to financially support the orphaned girls.

The page states, “The world lost two beautiful souls, and leaves two amazing girls without parents. Grace and Greg were outstanding people and lights of love, support, and inspiration to countless friends, family, co-workers and their community. Nothing mattered more to them than Madison and Olivia.”

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