NORFOLK, Va. — A 44-year-old man learned his sentence this week for his role in a deadly crash that left a young girl dead in Norfolk nearly two years ago.
Larry Laquan Thompson was sentenced to one year in jail for driving while his license was revoked at the time of the incident. He had previously pleaded no contest to the same charge back at the end of January.
The incident stems from Sept. 3, 2022, when Thompson was driving his Chevrolet Tahoe west in the 1100 block of Pickett Road while he was nearing the intersection of Old Court Drive near the Crown Point neighborhood around 1:30 p.m. At the same time, 7-year-old Jailynn Santiful, her dad and her sibling had come out of their house on the same block.
Norfolk Police said that Jailynn's dad picked up her younger sibling and carried them into the house. That's when police said Jailynn walked into the street by herself. As she was crossing the street, she looked both ways and hesitated before Thompson crossed through the intersection, police said.
As Thompson was crossing the intersection, he hit the 7-year-old girl and immediately stopped. Thompson's wife got out of the car and went to care for the girl, but she sadly died after the accident.
Police said Thompson wasn't speeding or under the influence but was driving with a revoked license. He was charged with operating a vehicle while his driving privileges were revoked, which is a misdemeanor.
He initially pleaded no contest in Norfolk General District Court back in July 2023 and was sentenced to serve 12 months in jail. He appealed the conviction to Norfolk Circuit Court and pleaded no contest once again in January.
Thompson's defense attorney argued for a shorter sentence than 12 months, the maximum for a misdemeanor in Virginia, but the judge stated she would not sway from the original sentence.
“Had Mr. Thompson had a license, these facts would have been tragic,” said Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi. “But Mr. Thompson did not have a license, and he never should have been driving that day. Mr. Thompson’s choice to drive on a revoked license transformed the tragedy into a crime, and Jailynn paid for Mr. Thompson’s choice with her life. We as a city mourn Jailynn’s life cut so tragically short.”
