A driver who killed a 16-year-old boy crossing the street in East Long Beach more than two years ago pleaded no contest to vehicular manslaughter Tuesday as part of a deal with prosecutors — something the victim’s parents have vocally opposed, saying it’s too lenient.
As part of the deal, Kevin Chris Dahl will be sentenced to six months in county jail, 30 days of community service and two years of formal probation, after which he’ll have the opportunity to reduce the conviction to a misdemeanor. If he’d gone to trial and been convicted, Dahl could have faced a maximum of six years in prison.
The victim’s parents, surrounded by dozens of loved ones in court, expressed their disappointment with the prosecutor’s decision to offer what they said was an “extremely light” sentence to Dahl, who they said had shown no remorse for crashing into and killing Aiden Gossage on the night of Sept. 4, 2021.
“You have expressed through your lawyer that you have been victimized,” Lily Gossage, Aiden’s mother said toward Dahl in court. “You blamed the streets, you blamed the lights, you blamed Aiden.”