Inset: Laticha Liz Bracero, left, and Alyssa Angel Cordova (Woodlawn Funeral Home). Background: St. Louis police investigate the crash that killed Bracero and Cordova (WLS).
A 23-year-old Missouri man is headed to prison for more than two decades after he drove 70 mph in a 35 mph zone and caused a chain reaction crash that killed a mother and daughter leaving a Drake concert.
Monte Henderson was sentenced last week to 21 years behind bars for killing 42-year-old Laticha Liz Bracero and her 21-year-old daughter Alyssa Angel Cordova, the St. Louis Circuit Attorney”s Office said in a press release. He pleaded guilty in July to two counts each of involuntary manslaughter and armed criminal action.
Prosecutors said Henderson sped down the streets of downtown St. Louis on Feb. 14, 2024, running several lights while weaving in and out of traffic before he crashed into another vehicle, which then slammed into the mother and daughter who were in a crosswalk as they made their way back to their hotel. He hit the brakes just two seconds before impact, per cops. Henderson had a blood alcohol level of 0.194 — more than twice the legal limit.
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Bracero and Cordova were from Chicago and traveled to the Gateway City to enjoy the concert. Their obituaries said they were “inseparable and shared a strong bond.”
“The dynamic duo will be remembered for their amazing smiles, infectious giggles and the love they shared for one another. They will both be deeply missed by all of their family and friends,” the obituary said.
Bracero’s sister wrote in a victim impact statement to the judge that Henderson deserved a stiff punishment because he was being “irresponsible” by getting behind the wheel while intoxicated and has shown “zero remorse.”
“He needs to sit in jail and stare at a wall and think about what he is done,” she wrote. “He is an extremely selfish person and doesn’t belong on the streets to harm anyone else again with his irresponsible actions. He does not deserve holidays with his family or to have his own just like Alyssa & Laticha.”
Oddly enough, Henderson was in the area to pick up his mother and sister who also attended the Drake concert. In a letter to the judge, Henderson’s mother said her son is “not a monster, young thug or the way the media portrays him.”
But prosecutors said punishments for drunk and speeding drivers must be harsh.
“Reckless driving destroys lives. At 70 miles per hour, a car becomes a weapon, and the impact reaches far beyond the crash itself. Nothing can make this right, but this sentence hopefully delivers some solace to the loved ones of Laticha Bracero and Alyssa Cordova,” St. Louis Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore said in a statement. “Two families are grieving today, one for the loss of a mother and daughter and another for the loss of a young man’s future.”
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