Nearly two and a half years after a devastating car collision claimed the life of an 18-year-old local teen, the case is moving toward a public trial after the accused driver entered a formal plea of not guilty to a dangerous driving causing death charge.
La-Shanti Cooper, who was 19 years old at the time of the 2023 crash, appeared in court recently to formally respond to the charge against her, entering a not guilty plea that paves the way for a full judicial examination of the incident. Court officials have scheduled a case management hearing for September 25, where legal representatives from both sides will address procedural matters and a final trial date is projected to be officially confirmed.
The fatal collision unfolded on All Saints Road, close to the John I. Martin Race Track, on May 18, 2023. Keane Gregoire, the 18-year-old victim, was riding as a passenger in the vehicle driven by Cooper when the crash occurred. Gregoire was rushed to a local hospital with severe, life-threatening trauma after the incident, and he succumbed to his multiple injuries on May 19, 2023, just one day after the wreck.
Law enforcement’s official account of the collision alleges that Cooper was operating a Toyota BB at excessive speed when she lost control of the vehicle. Per investigative reports, the car veered off the paved roadway, collided with a structural column, and eventually crossed over into the lanes of oncoming traffic on the opposite side of the road.
Investigators have also noted that in the immediate aftermath of the crash, Cooper reportedly mislead responding officers, claiming she was not the driver of the vehicle and that the person operating the car had fled the scene shortly after the collision. After completing a full, systematic investigation into the crash details and evidence, law enforcement officials moved forward with formal charges of dangerous driving resulting in death against Cooper.
Now, with Cooper maintaining her outright innocence in the case, the judicial process will proceed to a full trial once all pre-trial procedural steps are completed and a hearing date is finalized.