'I miss my baby': Parents demand justice for daughter killed by teen driver accused of speeding in West LA
LOS ANGELES - Carol Cardona finds it very hard to believe her 32-year-old daughter Monique Munoz was killed in a violent crash two weeks ago in the West Los Angeles area.
"It hurts so much to see that she’s gone. I miss my baby," said the grieving mother.
Monique recently got a job at UCLA Health as an administrative assistant in their Beverly Hills Oncology Department. Carol and her husband Isaac, Monique's stepdad, say she was on her way home from work when a Lamborghini SUV hit their daughter's car, killing her. The driver of the Lamborghini SUV was believed to be speeding and may have been involved in a street race.
Neighbors showed us pictures and said there have been many accidents in the same location. Another deadly crash that happened years ago prompted the city to install a stop sign on one end of the street, as well as implementing traffic signal improvements.
Neighbor Ira Newlander says, "This particular one sounded like a bomb went off."
Another neighbor Lisa Morocco says, "It sounded unlike anything I’d ever heard before."
Monique’s parents want the District Attorney's office to prosecute the teenage driver. Days after FOX 11 spoke with the grieving parents, Los Angeles County DA George Gascón's office said the suspect has been booked.
"A case was recently presented and is under review," Gascón's office said, in part, in a statement.
The Los Angeles Police Department also confirms an arrest has been made in the crash. However, it is unclear if the suspect -- not yet identified -- will be tried as an adult or a juvenile.
Carol and Isaac say they have a message for the DA and LAPD. Carol says, "I want justice for my daughter. I feel she deserves that. We’re making plans to bury my daughter and this juvenile individual is still walking around. And, I don’t think it’s fair she didn’t deserve this."
The two are promising more vigils and protests like one a week ago. The next is this Saturday, March 6 at 4:30 p.m. at the crash location on Olympic Boulevard and Overland Avenue.
Isaac says, "Even if he’s a juvenile, he was driving an adult vehicle acting like an adult. He should be tried as an adult."
All of that will be determined during the investigation, but for now, the parents have a makeshift memorial in their home. Monique’s slippers are just where she left them by the door and there are many tears.
With tears rolling down his face, Isaac says he’ll miss her and her jokes.
Carol, choking back tears, says, "I still can’t accept that she’s gone. It hurts so much. She was 32 and she was my baby... sometimes she would sit on my lap still. She would sit on my lap and she’d hug me. She was my baby."
Get your top stories delivered daily! Sign up for FOX 11’s Fast 5 newsletter. And, get breaking news alerts in the FOX 11 News app. Download for iOS or Android.