BEAVERTON, OR (KPTV) -
A 22-year-old man who police said was driving recklessly when he crashed and killed his girlfriend last year has changed his plea and admitted he is guilty.
Beaverton police arrested Justin Hookie last November after he crashed his car into a median on SW Murray Boulevard and Weir Road.
Hookie suffered minor injuries, but his passenger, 21-year-old Stephanie Dusa, was thrown from the car, and she died at the scene.
On Tuesday, Hookie changed his plea to guilty on the charge of aggravated driving while suspended, and he agreed to a stipulated facts trial for criminally negligent homicide—meaning if his case did go to trial, Hookie recognizes that a jury would likely find him guilty.
On Nov. 22 2011, police said Hookie was speeding down Murray Boulevard, going about 70 mph, when he lost control and crashed into a tree.
The tree tore the car in half and Dusa was thrown from the vehicle. She died instantly.
Prosecutors claim Hookie walked away from the scene with head and arm injuries, claiming he had been attacked by a stranger.
Two of Dusa's friends attended the hearing and they say their friend never felt safe with Hookie.
"Oh, she was always scared," said Dusa's friend, Raquel Ragon. "I think we have text messages of her complaining that he drives like a maniac all the time. We think he doesn't understand why he's getting blamed. But he needs to understand that it was his driving that caused her death."
Hookie will be sentenced on Thursday afternoon, and he will likely spend more than five years in prison.
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