JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Lindsey Higbee was too emotional to speak during a court hearing Tuesday morning as she was sentenced to four years in jail.
The 19-year-old (pictured, right) had just pleaded guilty to driving under the influence homicide for killing a child while driving drunk. Very drunk.
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Seven-year-old Courtney Pope died when Higbee hit the car she was riding in last year. Higby -- who was 18 at the time and leaving a high school party -- had a blood-alcohol level nearly three times the legal limit.
Pope's grandparents were driving her to Disney World for her birthday when the crash occurred. Higbee's car crossed the median and drove right into the path of the Pope's car.
"My baby is even younger and even more innocent than you right now," grandmother Diane Pope said to Higbee during the sentencing hearing.
Pope's family told Channel 4's Jennifer Waugh that four years in jail isn't enough, but prosecutors hope the tragedy will have a lasting effect on the entire community.
"Will going to prison do this defendant any good? Probably not," prosecutor Mark Borello said. "But the hope is that someone, somewhere will take a look at the sentence and say 'it's not worth it.'"
Pope's family has hired attorneys who are investigating whether to file charges against the owner of the home where Higbee was drinking that night.