OAKTON, Va. — Just weeks before a judge decides the sentence for a man convicted of killing two Oakton High School students, the mother of one of the victims is speaking out.
Young Jean Lee lost her 15-year-old daughter Leeyan Yan to a violent wreck in June 2022. Leeyan Yan and another friend were walking from Oakton High School on Blake Lane when a car went off the road and struck and killed them.
The driver, Usman Shahid, who was 18 at the time, was traveling 81 miles in a 35-mph speed zone. He crashed into another vehicle making a left turn at the intersection. Another student was nearby and just missed the collision.
A jury found Shahid guilty on two counts of involuntary manslaughter. The same jury recommended a four-year sentence despite prosecutors wanting a maximum of 10 years for each sentence.
A judge will finalize the sentence on July 19. He could lessen the sentence but can’t go beyond four years.
“We’re all disappointed and very upset,” Lee told WUSA9. “We lost our daughter. Now I have no hope or any enjoyment.”
Lee described her daughter as a bright spirit who welcomed everyone.
“She was funny,” Lee said. “She was a funny character.”
Despite the conviction, the family is dissatisfied by the jury sentence recommendation in late April. Lee started an online petition sharing frustration with the Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office.
She felt there were pieces of information that could’ve been presented to the jury during the trial, including social media posts made by Shahid after the incident. Lee believes it reflected how he wasn’t remorseful despite causing the scene. She felt this could’ve helped the jury sway to a stricter sentence.
“I respected their [jury] opinion, but people need to see this kind of evidence,” Lee added.
Family and friends held a rally expressing the same sentiment last Friday.
There’s no official response from prosecutors but in a statement after the sentencing, Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano said, “While there is nothing that can make up for such an immense loss, I hope that this conviction can help our community finally begin to heal from this tragedy.”
The trial lasted a little more than a week and a half, and the crux of the case centered on the scope of police investigation, and the role of the other driver who Shahid hit with his car.
Prosecutors argued that Shahid should have known better.
“No one was contending that he set out to kill those two girls," Deputy Commonwealth Attorney Jenna Sands said in closing arguments. "He made choices. He chose to drive fast and not hit the brake."
But Shahid's attorney argued there’s no evidence that proves manslaughter. Defense Attorney Peter Greenspun claims detectives failed to properly investigate and instead put their entire focus on Shahid.
Greenspun blamed the driver of the SUV trying to make a left turn as pedestrians were nearby for causing the incident, saying that driver – Ben Phan – was aware the BMW was coming.
"There’s every bit of evidence that it was Phan who was woeful," Greenspun argued.