In Boise teen’s death, judge orders harsher sentence than prosecution wanted. Here’s why
A 75-year-old Horseshoe Bend man will spend 20 days in jail and endure other punishments that are harsher than attorneys on both sides asked for after a judge sentenced him Thursday in the accidental death of a Boise teenager.
Jadin Zurawski, 16, was killed in August 2023 when David Brown, then 73, ran a red light as the teen skateboarded across the street. Brown’s dump truck struck Jadin, whose death inspired local artists to create a mural near the intersection of 16th and Washington streets.
“On what should have been his first day of junior year, he was being cremated,” his stepmom, Amaia Biain, told the court Thursday. “The college brochures are still arriving in his name. They are a painful reminder of what will never be.”
Biain called the aftermath of Jadin’s death a “cruel reality to endure as a parent” and said her daughter has lost more than a brother.
“She lost not only her brother, but in a way the mother she once had,” Biain said.
Brown, in an address to the court, said he was “terribly sorry” for what happened. He pleaded guilty to misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter in the teen’s death.
“I suppose I’ll spend the rest of my life thinking about it. … From what I heard Jadin was a very fine young man,” Brown said, causing Biain to cry.
Both the prosecution and the defense called what happened an “accident.” Both sides asked for a $2,000 fine, with most of it suspended, 100 hours of community service and one year of unsupervised probation.
However, the prosecution also asked that Brown be sentenced to 11 days in jail starting on Dec. 21, Jadin’s birthday, and for a 180-day driver’s license suspension.
The defense sought no jail time and a license suspension that allowed restricted driving privileges, so Brown could get to medical appointments, farm work and his community service requirement.
“I am fully aware that no sentence this court imposes could undo the harm or address the grief,” Magistrate Judge Regan Jameson said. “I hope you consider the sentence that I impose as an avenue to serve your punishment and forgive yourself.”
The judge ordered Brown to 365 days in jail, with 335 suspended. He will serve 20 days in jail and 10 days of that will be converted to 100 hours of community service. The judge also decided that Brown would have two years of unsupervised probation, and she suspended his license for one year, with the potential for restricted privileges after one month.
Brown was handcuffed at the end of the hearing and taken into custody.
A member of a group in court to support Brown declined to comment to the Idaho Statesman after the hearing.
What happened
On Aug. 3, 2023, Brown drove his dump truck to a construction site to pick up dirt, the defense said in its sentencing memorandum. He headed down Harrison Boulevard and eventually moved over to 16th Street, and was traveling 17 miles per hour as he approached the intersection of 16th and Washington streets, according to the defense.
The light turned red four seconds before Brown ran into Zurawski, according to the memo, and Brown’s speed didn’t change. However, other cars stopped at the light, according to the prosecution’s sentencing memo.
After hitting Zurawski, Brown stopped and told someone to call 911, the defense memo said.
The prosecution and the defense agreed that Brown had been focusing on the light a block ahead at 16th and State streets, instead of the one he ran.
Though Brown “bears the ultimate responsibility,” the defense said the design of the intersection contributed to the crash. The traffic lights at 16th and Washington weren’t centered in his lane, while the lights at State and 16th were, the memo said.
The Ada County Highway District has made a number of changes to the intersection, according to the defense memo. In spring 2025, the highway district will work on more improvements, according to a news release. The existing signal will be replaced with pedestrian-activated enhanced crossings, crews will install raised pedestrian crossings and there will be improved intersection lighting, among other things.
The Ada County Highway District did not return a request for comment.
This story was originally published December 5, 2024 at 7:01 PM.
