Teen sentenced to prison in deadly 2023 Orlando crash involving stolen car

Teen sentenced to prison in deadly crash involving stolen car

A Central Florida teen will spend several years in prison after pleading no contest in a fatal crash involving a stolen vehicle, running a red light and a collision that killed a young driver. LeBron Flores, now 18, was sentenced to six years in prison after accepting a plea deal and receiving youthful offender status for the crash that killed Christian Romero, when Flores was 15.

ORLANDO, Fla. - A Central Florida teen will spend several years in prison after pleading no contest in a fatal crash involving a stolen vehicle, running a red light and a collision that killed a young driver.

LeBron Flores, now 18, was sentenced to six years in prison after accepting a plea deal and receiving youthful offender status for the crash that occurred when he was 15. 

The backstory:

Prosecutors said Flores was driving a stolen car with several other teens when he ran a red light and caused a deadly collision at an intersection in Central Florida.

The victim, Christian Romero, was driving home from work when the crash occurred. Investigators said the intersection light had been red for several seconds before Flores entered it at high speed, leading to the collision that killed Romero and injured others in the vehicle Flores was driving.

Family members of Romero said they opposed the plea agreement, arguing the sentence did not reflect the severity of the loss. They said they had urged prosecutors and the court to reject the deal but were unsuccessful.

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Under the agreement, Flores will serve six years in prison and lose his driver’s license for three years after release, but he will not be required to serve parole supervision once his sentence is complete. 

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Court officials noted he had already served a significant portion of time prior to sentencing, which will reduce his remaining prison term.

State attorney responds

What they're saying:

State Attorney Monique Worrell called Christian Romero's death an "avoidable tragedy" and acknowledged public frustration over the outcome of the case, while citing legal limits that shaped sentencing for LeBron Flores.

"Our hearts are with the family and loved ones of Christian Romero," Worrell said in a statement. "There are no words that can ease a loss like this, and no outcome that can ever make them whole. The car accident that resulted in this vehicular homicide was an avoidable tragedy."

She said the decision reflected the seriousness of the deadly crash.

"This case presents one of the most difficult realities we face in this work. The person responsible for this vehicular homicide was a child," the prosecutor said. "Because of the seriousness of the offense and the irreversible harm caused, my office made the decision to charge him as an adult. That decision reflects the gravity of what occurred."

She also pointed to statutory limits on sentencing for youthful offenders, such as Flores, saying those constraints determined the final outcome after a plea agreement.

"At the same time, Florida law places clear limits on the sentencing of individuals who are sentenced as youthful offenders," the statement said. "The court accepted his plea and he received the maximum sentence allowed as a youthful offender. That outcome is not a reflection of a lack of seriousness. It is a reflection of the legal framework applied to this case."

Worell noted that the case highlights tensions between accountability and the limits of existing law.

"These are the moments that test public trust in the legal system. They also expose the tension between accountability and the legal constraints that govern how that accountability is carried out. We should have honest conversations about whether those laws reflect the outcomes our communities expect" the statement said. "What remains unchanged is our commitment to pursue justice with integrity, to center victims and their families, and to do everything within our power to prevent tragedies like this from happening again," the prosecutor said.