Boy, 14, pleads guilty in Lakewood joyride that killed friend

A 14-year-old Lakewood boy pleaded guilty Monday to being behind the wheel of car that crashed in November during a joyride, killing 10-year-old Dylan Wilson.

The teen was sentenced to nearly four months to nine months on charges of vehicular homicide, vehicular assault, failure to remain at an injury accident and duty in case of damage to attended vehicle.

The News Tribune is not publishing the boy’s name because he was prosecuted as a juvenile.

The teen broke down in tears during the hearing.

“I made a mistake. I didn’t mean to hurt him,” he told the court, according to KING-5. “I just can’t change what happened.”

The Nov. 9 crash injured two other passengers, ages 14 and 11, and the driver. Once the 14-year-old was released from the hospital, he was held in the Remann Hall juvenile detention center.

On the day of the accident, the boys came home from school and got the keys to a car. The owner later told police she did not give them permission to drive.

It’s unclear where the boys went but at one point they stopped to buy gas for the car.

On their way home, their car sideswiped another vehicle at Gravelly Lake Southwest and Veterans Drive but kept going.

Investigators said the 14-year-old likely panicked and sped away, crashing the car into a pole and spinning into a tree.

Dylan, who was in the back seat with his 11-year-old best friend, suffered major head trauma and later died.

The two older boys ran away, court records state. One went home and the other was found nearby in the street.

After the accident, Dylan’s parents described him as a social boy who enjoyed video games, fishing and throwing a football. He attended Idlewild Elementary School.

His father, Richard, attended Monday’s hearing and spoke about how the crash destroyed his family. He said he has no motivation to leave the house. His wife, Michelle, has been hospitalized three times for panic attacks.

“Me and my wife will never see our son grow up, get married and have children of his own,” Richard Wilson wrote in a victim impact statement.

“Every day, every hour, every minute we think about how much we miss him and it hurts so bad knowing we will never see him again.”

This story was originally published February 1, 2016 at 4:45 PM with the headline "Boy, 14, pleads guilty in Lakewood joyride that killed friend."