Lanie Tyrone Richardson Sentenced In Fatal Car Surfing Case

Lanie Tyrone Richardson, the driver behind the wheel of the SUV involved in a fatal car surfing incident in June of 2012, will spent 14 years in state prison for his crime.

Santa Barbara Superior Court Judge Jean Dandona handed down the sentence Thursday morning.

The early morning accident in an area of Montecito known as “The Bump” along Highway 192, took the life of 26-year-old Allison Meadows and left her friend, 25-year-old Lindsay Keebler, with major injuries.

Richardson faced a maximum sentence of 15 years to life in prison, however, the district attorney’s office dismissed two counts — a DUI and a second degree murder charge — following a plea deal.

More than a dozen of the victims’ friends and family members were in court to watch an emotional scrapbook video of Allison’s life and to hear the gut-wrenching impact statement written by her mother. And, for the first time, they heard Richardson express his remorse.

Richardson, the father of two young children, could remain in the Santa Barbara County jail for up to two weeks until authorities determine in which state prison he’ll beginning serving his sentence.