FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. — The fate of a man accused of manslaughter after he crashed his car into several people on a sidewalk nearly two years ago is now in the hands of a jury after a week-and-a-half-long trial in Fairfax County.
Usman Shahid is charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter for the death of two Oakton High School students whom he hit with his car while speeding in June 2022. On Tuesday, attorneys made their closing arguments, which took the prosecution 10 minutes and the defense two hours, before the jury left to deliberate.
The crash happened on June 7, 2022 at the intersection of Blake Lane and Five Oaks Road, just south of Oakton High School, around 11:45 a.m., shortly after the high school dismissed students for the day. Police determined that Shahid, who was 18 at the time of the crash, was speeding in a BMW and barreled into another car trying to make a left turn in the middle of a yellow blinking light. His car left the road, and hit three teens who were on the sidewalk near the intersection. One teen survived the crash, while Ada Martinez Nolasco and Leeyan Hanjia Yan were killed.
According to court testimony, Shahid was driving 81 miles per hour in a 35-mph zone, with passengers in his car when he hit the teens. He had a learner's permit at the time of the crash. Prosecutors argued that Shahid should have known better.
“No one was contending that he set out to kill those two girls," Deputy Commonwealth Attorney Jenna Sands said in closing arguments. "He made choices. He chose to drive fast and not hit the brake."
But Shahid's attorney argued there’s no evidence that proves manslaughter. Defense Attorney Peter Greenspun claims detectives failed to properly investigate, and instead put their entire focus on Shahid.
Greenspun blamed the driver of the SUV trying to make a left turn as pedestrians were nearby for causing the incident, saying that driver -- Ben Phan -- was aware the BMW was coming.
"There’s every bit of evidence that it was Phan who was woeful," Greenspun said.
As for his client Greenspun said, “Maybe you find him guilty of being a stupid kid and that he should’ve known better. That’s not criminal negligence.”
Greenspun also stressed to jurors how Phan refused to talk until before the trial when he was granted immunity.
Jury deliberations will continue Wednesday.
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