Bryan County Teen Pleads Guilty To Vehicular Homicide

It's been two long years since a car accident claimed the lives of three Bryan county teens and forever changed the life of another. Today that teen found out how long he will spend in jail. Tam Duc Le was driving with three fellow students from Bryan County High School when he lost control rounding a curve at too high a rate of speed - crossed the center line - and crashed into an oncoming Ford F-250. The three girls riding with him died at the scene - Tam Duc Le was left in a coma for five weeks and spent months in the hospital. He was charged in the accident later that same year and today learned his fate.

Tam Duc Le pleaded guilty to 3 counts of vehicular homicide, 2 counts of reckless driving, driving too fast for conditions and weaving over the roadway. He was sentenced to thirty years - only 4 and a half of which will be spent behind bars - but not before being forced to face - in emotional testimony - the impact of what he had done. The tears were flowing by the time the second witness took the stand. Robin Wilkes was driving on Georgia 119 two years ago when she saw the teen's car speeding around a curve towards her. “I knew they were gonna get in a wreck. I knew. I had already started stopping and I kept saying "you need to slow down and then I was screaming inside my truck - Please! Slow down!”

But they didn't-- instead crossing the center line headed straight for her. The crash killed sisters - Heather and Melissa Arthur and their friend Laura Cobb. The families shared the pain of their losses. Derek Arthur, father of Heather and Melissa said, “I’ll never have a day that I’ll be as happy as I was the day before. My worst day before this is better than any day I’ve had now cause I always knew they were there.” “How do you get up every morning and you always hope the day gets better every morning - how's your day? Well, I don't have my daughters - how do you think my day is?” said the girl’s mother, Sherry Arthur. Brenda France, the sister’s grandmother said, “It has torn our family apart and we just need some help trying to mend, mend our family - but there will never be closure.” Laura Cobb’s grandmother Terry Vangeller took the stand as well, “All I want to say is - we miss her, we loved her and my house is empty.”

Tam Duc Le pleaded guilty and accepted responsibility for his actions. His mother, Jennifer Le asked for forgiveness, “I just want to ask the family please to forgive him - he's just a teenager, a kid - not a grownup.” And in the end Tam Duc Le apologized, “I’m really sorry to Melissa and Heather's family. I never got to really know them that well - I wish I could have known them better. And to Laura’s family - she was a really good person - I really enjoyed the time I had with her. I'm really sorry that she died and I survived.” An apology and a sentence that wasn't enough for some family members. The Arthur sister’s grandmother said, “That's bad for his mom you know, what she's having to go through - but she gets to see him - no matter if he's in prison or where he's at - she gets to see him - he's living, breathing - my granddaughters are not living and breathing - they're buried over there at Ash Branch.”

Tam Duc Le spent five weeks in a coma following the accident and several more months in the hospital. He says he has no memory of the day of the accident. He will serve his time in the state penitentiary before finishing out his sentence on probation.