Teen Admits Responsibility In Fatal Drunk Driving Crash

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. (WJZ) -- It was an emotional day inside of a Maryland courtroom as a teen said he was responsible for a horrible crash that killed two of his friends.

Ava-joye Burnett has more from one of the victims' parents.

Those teens had just left a party where minors were drinking even though a parent was present at that home. Right now, there's a push to give adults jail time if they know teens are drinking and they do nothing to stop it.

In June of 2015, Samuel Ellis crashed a vehicle after he left an underage drinking party. Two of his friends, Alex Murk and Calvin Li, died in the crash. On Friday, 19-year-old Ellis entered a guilty plea.

Sam Ellis was a former quarterback at Wootton High School in Montgomery County. On Friday, he pleaded guilty to two counts of vehicular manslaughter.

"There is no jumping for joy. There are no winners in this situation. It was a tragic incident that happened and it certainly is reflected in what seems to be remorse of this young man," said Ramon Korionoff, the spokesman for the state's attorney.

At least one adult was present at the party and knew there was underage drinking. That person paid a $5,000 fine.

"This is a sad situation," said Lisa Spicknall, Mothers Against Drunk Driving.

But advocates want stiffer penalties---including jail time---for any adult that allows underage drinking.

"We really need parents to step up and say `no, this isn't ok' and we really need to prevent these underage drinking crashes from happening," she said.

The victims had just graduated high school when they died that night.

After the guilty plea, Alex Murk's family issued a statement that says, in part, "Today's guilty plea is bittersweet. While it relieves us from having to endure the endless pain of sitting through days of trial, it drives home the cold hard fact that our son died at the hands of another human being."

Sentencing for the 19-year-old is in June. He faces up to 20 years in prison.

Cameron Siasi, the front seat passenger injured in the crash, will graduate this spring.