Johnstown , PA : Three teens were killed and two hospitalized after a Mitsubishi Diamante split in half after hitting a tree on sunday night, November 23rd 2014

It was a case of a kid driving too fast, of a driver too inexperienced to handle the road. Jaylynn Rigio lost control of his car and smashed into a tree, and three of his friends died. Yesterday, Rigio admitted he was at fault. The 16-year-old from Johnstown pleaded guilty to three delinquency counts of vehicular homicide and one delinquency count of vehicular assault. He told a Licking County judge he doesn’t remember the June 26 crash, which also left him and another friend injured. Sentencing is set for Jan. 23. Rigio could face juvenile detention until he is 21, but his lawyer said he’s hoping for some leniency. “He’s living his life better than most his age are,” Robert Calesaric said. “The goal is to have him show everybody that he is a good guy.” Rigio had his probationary driver’s license and four friends in the car that summer afternoon when he tore down Hardscrabble Road near Johnstown. A crash reconstructionist said the car was moving between 76 and 82 mph on the 55-mph road. Rigio drove off the road, overcorrected and slammed into a tree on the other side. The car was torn in half, and the rear spun out 30 feet. The three back-seat passengers — Michael Hoskinson, 17; Linzie Bell, 15; and Cheyenne Spurgeon, 15 — died at the scene. Ashton Cody, in the front passenger seat, suffered head trauma and memory loss. No one was wearing a seat belt. Blood tests on Rigio revealed elements of marijuana in his system, but prosecutors were unable to link any drug use to the crash. Rigio refused to plead guilty to a marijuana-possession charge, which was ultimately dropped. Prosecutor Lia Meehan said she dismissed the minor misdemeanor charge to avoid a trial after Rigio agreed to admit to the felonies. Calesaric said Rigio suffered a traumatic brain injury in the crash. He remembers his dad’s birthday party the day before, and ultimately waking up in the hospital, but nothing in between. He still hasn’t fully healed. “It’s just so overwhelming for him,” Calesaric said. “It’s impossible to take in all the information and process it. I think his body’s trying to fight it off.” source : Teen pleads guilty in crash that killed three near Johnstown