A mother whose son was killed in a car crash caused by drink driving lashed out at the driver responsible as she was sentenced to just 179 days in jail for the killing.  

Keisha Reid, the mother of 24-year-old Jay'quan Reid from Mecklenburg County in North Carolina called out the destructive actions of Katiyah Hines that led to the fatal car crash in August 2022.

Hines pleaded guilty to being under the influence of alcohol at the time of the accident, yet the perceived light sentence has been widely criticized. 

When the judge sentenced the drunk driver this week, Hines was actually set free and released on time served. She had been in jail since last summer's accident and spent 179 days behind bars.

'How do you sleep at night? You can't even look at me!' Reid yelled at Hines, while pointing a finger at her in the courtroom on Thursday.    

Keisha Reid, the mother of Jay'quan Reid, who was killed in a crash caused by a drunk driver, expressed her outrage towards Katiyah Hines who pleaded guilty

Hines claimed that it was the victim, Jay'quan Ried, pictured above, who pulled the steering wheel causing the crash - something the crash reconstruction team were not able to rule out

Hines claimed that it was the victim, Jay'quan, who pulled the steering wheel causing the crash - something the crash reconstruction team were not able to rule out.

Prosecutors failed to prove that Hines' impairment ultimately caused the crash. 

Hines slammed into two parked cars in North Charlotte resulting in the death of Jay'quan Reid. He was partially thrown from the vehicle during the crash. 

In court, Keisha Reid tearfully expressed her devastation and inability to forgive Hines as she told how crash had affected their family's lives. 

She told how she had not been able to sleep properly since the night of the crash. 

'You took my child away from me; you could have made a better decision. My granddaughter was six months at the time; she will never know her father's voice,' said Reid to Hines, sobbing

Keisha Reid, the mother of victim Jay'quan Reid, was visibly upset in court 

Hines was only sentenced to 179 days in jail after admitting to driving under the influence during August 2022 crash that killed 24-year-old Reid. She was released for time served

Jay'quan Reid was a father-of-two with a six-month-old granddaughter and one-year-old son

'You took my child away from me; you could have made a better decision. My granddaughter was six months at the time; she will never know her father's voice,' said Reid to Hines, sobbing. 

'My grandson was one; he does not sleep; I have not had a peaceful sleep since August the 22nd.' 

The rest of Reid's family were too overcome with emotion, their anguish and disappointment palpable, as they were unable to speak on camera. They told Queen City News how they believed Hines sentence to be far too lenient.

They said how they would like to see a change in the law to ensure greater accountability in such tragic cases.

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