JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – After a family lost their daughter to a drunk driver more than a year ago, the man responsible for the crash pleaded guilty and was sentenced to prison, giving the Jacksonville family a chance to heal.
Stanley Jefson pleaded guilty to DUI manslaughter plus several other related charges and was sentenced to 33½ years in prison Wednesday in the death of 12-year-old Savannah Pfeiffer.
Prosecutors said it was the longest sentence ever handed down for a DUI case in Duval County.
Police said Jefson was driving 120 mph in a 30 mph zone, and his blood alcohol level was more than three times the legal limit when he crashed into the car the Pfeiffer was riding in.
Pfeiffer died a few days after the accident from blunt force trauma, and several of her family members were also injured.
Savannah's mother, Patricia Smith, keeps a binder of every victim impact statement that was read at Jefson's trial, totaling more than 20 pages.
After hearing all of these statements, Smith said that it was the first time Jefson ever showed any remorse and that meant a lot to her. Now that all of this is over, she just wants everyone to remember her sweet daughter.
Walking to her daughter's gravesite, a place she comes every day, Smith had something new to share with the daughter that she lost too soon.
"Hi sweetheart. Mama loves you. It's over, Savannah. It's done. You can rest now," Smith said as she bent down to kiss her daughter's tombstone.
After more than a year of waiting, wishing, and praying, the man responsible for Pfeiffer's death will be heading to prison.
"I was glad that he was sorry for what he had done to her. I think he realized she wasn't just a name or a face. She was a beautiful 12-year-old little girl," Smith said. "Savannah would always stop and turn, and look at me. She'd say, 'I love you to the moon and back, Mama.'"
Smith still keeps a box of keepsakes and holds on to the memories of Pfeiffer's life, from her first cap and gown, to dressing up for Halloween with her younger sister Kayla, to the day Pfeiffer was laid to rest.
Every day since that day, Smith has fought for justice for Pfeiffer, and knowing Jefson will likely spend the rest of his life behind bars brings some comfort, but for Smith, the fight is far from over.
In her daughter's memory, she has now taken on a new mission to save lives.
"No mother should have to come where I come every day. It is my plan to petition the Florida legislature to change the DUI laws so this won't happen."