(Photo by Witthaya Prasongsin)
Wait what just happened in Osceola County? A Florida father, Richard Seymour Ferguson, faces decades in prison. And, it’s not for what he directly did, but for a crash his teen son caused that killed four people. The case has left the community reeling as questions swirl about responsibility and the consequences of one fateful decision.
Richard Seymour Ferguson, 69, is now facing 37 years behind bars after being found guilty of four counts of manslaughter. He allegedly allowed his 15-year-old son to drive a car that killed a grandmother and her three young grandchildren. Calling himself a deeply broken man, Ferguson wept in court on Wednesday, February 18, as he apologized to the victims family. He also added that each day he is living in grief and regret.
The tragic crash occurred on September 3, 2023, when Fergusons son drove more than twice the speed limit, ran a stop sign, and collided with a gray Honda carrying Trinidad Hernandez, 50, and her grandchildren, 11-year-old Miley Cruz, 1-year-old Anayari Hernandez, and 9-year-old Marvin Cruz. Four of the five occupants were killed, while Angel Hernandez, the childrens grandfather, survived with serious injuries. Investigators said Ferguson allowed his son and three other unlicensed teens to drive that night, even moving a pickup out of the driveway so the boys could leave in a Chevy Impala.
At his sentencing in Kissimmee, Ferguson, stricken with Stage 4 cancer, admitted he let his son back the car out but claimed he didnt intend for him to drive off alone. I am sorry that I played a part I took the easy way out, he said, acknowledging he could have done more to stop the tragedy. Despite his apology, Sabrina Hernandez, the mother of the victims, called Ferguson extremely cowardly. She also claimed that his lack of accountability robbed her children of their lives.
Fergusons daughter, stepson, and niece spoke in court, highlighting his role as a gentle giant and a man who had always been generous and caring to family and friends. But the devastating consequences of his decision seemingly overshadowed those memories, leaving the Hernandez family to grieve what they can never get back. Fergusons attorney had requested house arrest due to his terminal cancer, but prosecutors argued a stiff sentence was necessary given the severity of the crash and his role in allowing it to happen.
