GOOCHLAND COUNTY, Va. — The man who pleaded guilty to causing a deadly Goochland County racing crash in May 2024 was sentenced to five years in jail on Friday.
Hayden Alexander Kyle was 18 years old at the time of the crash that killed J.R. Tucker High School students Joseph Castro and Aiden Schmidt. He pleaded guilty in mid-October to two counts of causing death by racing.
The judge sentenced him to 10 years with seven and a half years suspended for each of the two counts of racing resulting in a killing, for a total of 20 years with 15 suspended.
Goochland Circuit Court Judge Timothy Sanner said at sentencing the crash “wasn’t an accident” but added “I don’t think you’re going to pose a risk in the future.”
“I believe you are truly remorseful,” Judge Sanner told Kyle. “You are a good person who committed a terrible crime.”
Sanner cited the defendant’s lasting mental and physical injuries, lack of criminal record, and the fact he plead guilty for giving Kyle five years of active jail time.
The judge briefly choked up while talking about the emotional impact the May 18, 2024 crash has had on the victim’s families who filled the courtroom.
Goochland County Commonwealth’s Attorney John Lumpkins said Kyle and his friends met up at the Cookout restaurant in Short Pump prior to racing through back roads of the county.
Lumpkins said Kyle was speeding 112 mph on wet roads with bald tires when he crashed into a tree, splitting his BMW in half. The victims died instantly, while Kyle was put into a medically-induced coma in the ICU for three weeks.
He described Kyle’s actions as “insane abandonment.”
Joseph’s sister, Ashley Castro, testified she didn’t graduate on time “because it was hard going to school” following the deadly crash.
She added Joseph died just before graduation and she was forced to take care of her mother and sister.
Aiden’s mother, Allison Schmidt, cried as she read a victim impact statement and said “my son was taken from me in a racing accident that should never had happened.”
Watch: CBS 6 Crime Insider Jon Burkett sits down with mothers of teens killed in Goochland racing crash
“I don’t get to hear his voice, see his smile, or feel his hug again,” Schmidt said. “Life without Aiden feels like a constant ache.”
Kyle’s mother said that her son is “a good, positive kid” during another emotional testimony.
She testified her son suffered from a severed hand, two collapsed lungs, a broken back, severe head trauma, and brain bleed. She said nearly two years after the crash that Kyle is in constant pain and has declined mental health.
The defendant’s mother testified the crash forced her to limit her work hours to take care of her son, which led to their family seeking help from food banks.
“It’s not easy for him to get out of bed physically or mentally,” she testified. “He loved those boys.”
She said the Kyle family received death threats following the crash and her daughter was threatened and harassed at school.
“I can’t place blame on anyone,” Kyle’s mother said.
Lumpkins said Kyle received nine letters of support but said his actions weren’t an “accident.”
He urged Judge Sanner to sentence Kyle to at least eight years of jail time and said “a firm sentence would send a message.”
“A light sentence would be a crushing blow” to the victims, Lumpkins told the court.
Kyle’s defense attorney argued his client “had just become an adult” yet was aware of the suffering he caused.
The defense said Kyle has no recollection of what happened, but added “He knows he’s responsible for killing two people he saw as his younger brothers.”
The defense said some of Kyle’s letters of support were sent in by his former coaches and teachers.
Kyle read a letter in which the judge noted was difficult for him to read because of his brain injury.
“I am so sorry and wish I could get them back,” he read. “I hope I can be forgiven.”
Kyle told the judge he wanted to become a mechanic and do advocacy work warning teens about the dangers of dangerous driving.
The defendant walked into the courtroom with his family but left in handcuffs immediately after he was sentenced. His defense attorney told CBS 6 after the hearing that they would not seek an appeal.
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