2-plus years in prison for teen driver in Mankato who killed pedestrian while racing

A 19-year-old woman received a sentence of nearly 3½ years for hitting and killing a pedestrian at an intersection in Mankato while racing another vehicle at speeds up to 75 miles per hour.

Kaylee L. Richmond, of Mankato, was sentenced in Blue Earth County District Court after pleading guilty to criminal vehicular homicide for driving with gross negligence. Killed in the Aug. 14, 2023, crash at Madison Avenue and Hope Street was Jeffery A. Ward, a 66-year-old Mankato resident.

With credit for time in jail after her arrest, Richmond is expected to serve the first 2¼ years in prison and the balance on supervised release.

According to the criminal complaint, police arrived about 9:30 p.m. to the crash scene and saw Richmond’s badly damaged car with blood along the top. Ward was nearby and declared dead by emergency medical responders.

Richmond admitted she was racing someone in another vehicle. The complaint stated that she told an officer: “The other car should be in trouble too. ... He was trying to race me. I like going fast.”

While the complaint makes no mention of locating the other driver, a witness told law enforcement officers that he saw two cars quickly changing lanes on eastbound Madison.

Two paramedics said Richmond told them that she and the other driver were going 65 to 75 mph. The speed limit on that stretch of road is 35 mph. A State Patrol reconstruction specialist estimated Richmond’s speed at 70 to 75 mph, based on the damage to her car, the lack of skid marks on the pavement to indicate braking and the severity of Ward’s injuries.

Richmond’s driving history in Minnesota includes two convictions last year – one for driving 45 mph in a 30 mph zone and another for using her cellphone while driving.