Some justice rendered for 2 little girls killed in DUI crash in North Las Vegas

Two little girls who died in an alcohol-related crash near Las Vegas about 18 months ago have now received a small measure of justice as the adults in the vehicle — their mother and aunt — are both sentenced to time behind bars.

On the night of December 11, 2022, Kayleah Manning was in a van driving around North Las Vegas, Nevada. Her older sister, Raenysa Clydette-Glenn Washington, was in the passenger seat, and Washington's two daughters — Taylor Wilmer, 3, and Rose Wilmer, 2 — were in the backseat restrained by adult seatbelts, as Blaze News previously reported.

'The problem is I’m not sure that all of these mistakes are things that could happen to a responsible parent.'

Suddenly, Manning veered from her lane, struck a curb, and hit a small tree and light pole before crashing into a large palm tree.

As a result of the crash, little Rose was decapitated and pronounced dead at the scene. Her sister, Taylor, was rushed to the hospital but succumbed to her injuries the following day.

Both Manning and Washington were also transported to the hospital, where they remained in critical condition for some time. They were also placed under arrest while they underwent treatment for their injuries.

Witnesses claimed that at least one of the women seemed "nonchalant" about the deadly crash. "When she was getting out of the car, she just stepped on the baby and walked to the grass," one witness said.

Another witness claimed one of the women just "left the baby there." Whether the witnesses were referring to Manning or Washington is unclear.

Evidence that Manning was under the influence of alcohol was apparent from the start. Police described her eyes as bloodshot, her speech as slurred, and her breath as smelling strongly of "an alcoholic beverage." Tests taken about two hours after the crash reportedly revealed that her blood-alcohol level was over .19, more than twice the legal limit.

Manning allegedly admitted to consuming two shots of tequila that night. Washington reportedly told police that her sister may have split an entire bottle of tequila with a friend.

Washington also apparently admitted that she knew putting toddlers into adult seatbelts and not car seats was wrong but felt she "couldn’t argue" since it was not her car. Other reports indicate Washington had sold the car seats a week before the crash.

Though Manning, 25, was initially assessed a bevy of serious charges, in April, she pled guilty to two counts of DUI resulting in death. That same month, Washington, 27, pled guilty to two counts of child abuse or neglect.

On Thursday, the two women stood before Judge Erika Mendoza to learn their sentence. Both wept as they made statements asking for mercy.

"No matter if it was an accident, no matter if I would never hurt my children, no matter if it was a mistake, it was my fault," said Washington. "And today I'm ready to take full accountability of this, and for the remainder of my life, I will."

"I never imagined being the cause of so much hurt to my family, my nieces, or myself," said Manning. "But while I have been incarcerated, I've enrolled in the SOARS program to seek the help that I may need to understand myself and what led me to the position I am in today."

Judge Mendoza reportedly shed tears herself but still sentenced both women to serve time.

Manning was sentenced to three to 10 years in prison with credit for the 108 days already served. Once she is released, she must have a breath monitor in her car for at least a year.

Washington was sentenced to just shy of a year in jail with credit for the 11 days already served. She was given a prison sentence as well, but that sentence was immediately suspended.

So long as Washington remains out of trouble once she is released and on probation, she will never have to serve the suspended sentence. However, one technical violation will land her back in jail, the judge ruled.

Since the crash, Washington has given birth to a baby boy. She is also currently pregnant, due sometime in December.

Washington asked to delay starting her jail sentence until Monday so that she could say goodbye to her son, but Judge Mendoza refused.

"The problem is I’m not sure that all of these mistakes are things that could happen to a responsible parent," Mendoza said.

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