JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The man accused of killing a 12-year-old girl in a crash one-year ago learned Monday he will stand trial Sept. 21 on a charge of vehicular homicide and several counts of DUI.
Savannah Pfeiffer was killed in the accident at Merrill Road and Townsend Boulevard.
Police said Stanley Robert Jefson was driving, going 120 mph, when his car slammed into the back of the truck Savannah was riding in.
Police also said Jefson's blood alcohol level was more than three-times the legal limit.
Jefson will have a pretrial hearing on May 27. He appeared with his attorney, Mitch Stone, before Judge Mallory Cooper on Monday.
Savannah's family declined to comment at the hearing, but paid tribute to Savannah's memory Saturday.
"I miss you all the time, Savannah," said her mother, Patricia Smith.
Smith stood at the spot where the accident happened. She held her daughter's picture and spoke aloud.
"I hope you're happy in Heaven," Smith said. "There's no more pain, baby. There's no more pain."
Despite the accident as the reason for her paint, Smith decorates the accident site with fresh flowers. She wonders all of the time what would have been.
"What you'd look like now. I remember a year ago today when you got up. You said, 'Good morning, mama,'" said Smith.
As Smith talked about Savannah and the things that made her special, Smith had a visitor on her hand -- a lady bug.
"That was Savannah. She loved little bugs," Smith said. "I always called her my little doodlebug. When it jumped on me, it didn't surprise me."
Smith and loved ones released four balloons in Easter colors -- Savannah's favorite -- into the sky. Minutes later, Smith and her family visited Savannah at her grave, just as they do every day. They put down fresh flowers.
"Mama got you already for Easter. I just wish you could be here for Easter," Smith said.
The decorations around Savannah's headstone reflect the time of year. It's hard for Smith to believe it has been a year. As she prepares to say goodbye, she made one more promise.
"To fight the Florida Legislature. To change the law," Smith said. "How many does it take before the state says, 'OK, you don't need to drive?' How many did it take before my daughter's life was taken?"
Jefson faces 24 total charges in the crash that sent 12 people to hospitals.
Jefson's female passenger told police he had the accelerator "pushed to the floor" until just before their Pontiac G8 slammed into a GMC Sierra pickup truck despite traffic on the streets of Arlington that April afternoon.