Driver in Milwaukee crash that killed 5 people gets 25 years in prison

MILWAUKEE (AP) — A drunken driver who sped through a red light in Wisconsin and smashed into another vehicle, killing five of her passengers including four children, was sentenced Monday to 25 years in prison.

Anteyona Sandifer, 21, pleaded guilty in January to five homicide charges related to the deaths in Milwaukee last May. Prosecutors dropped six other felony charges against her in a plea deal.

Sandifer was driving an estimated 80 mph (130 kilometers per hour) when she drove a minivan through a red light and collided with another vehicle and a pole, the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office said. Sandifer’s blood-alcohol content was 0.167, more than twice the legal limit, at the time of the crash, according to Assistant District Attorney Sara Sadowski.

Relatives of the victims — a 1-year-old girl, two 15-year-old girls, a 17-year-old boy and a 32-year-old man — said Sandifer and her passengers had attended a party before the crash.

“While you have taken responsibility in a sense, it’s not clear to me you’ve taken full responsibility for the loss of five people,” Milwaukee County Judge David Swanson said.

Swanson said Sandifer has “significant rehabilitative needs.”

Sandifer will be subject to 15 years of extended supervision after completing the 25-year prison sentence.

Sandifer suffered a collapsed lung and broken ribs in the crash, court records said. A sixth passenger, a 17-year-old girl, suffered life-threatening injuries. The driver of the vehicle that was struck, a 32-year-old woman, suffered serious injuries, police said.