KINGMAN – Torturous anguish leaps off the hundreds of pages submitted for consideration of the court before it sentences one Kingman teenager to prison next week for causing the deaths of two others, and serious injuries of two more nearly one year ago. Attorneys have submitted material to be considered before Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Suzanne Nicholls decides the fate of Brady Shuffler, 17.
The Kingman teenager previously pleaded guilty to two counts of manslaughter for the deaths of Tatum Meins, 17, and Sherene ‘Siri’ Walema, 15. Shuffler also pleaded guilty to two aggravated assault counts for the serious injuries sustained by Cannon Cobanovich and Reilly Feil, two other teenage Lee Williams High School (LWHS) student athletes who survived the high-speed crash.
In an 11-page sentencing memorandum submitted by the state, Deputy Mohave County Attorney James Schoppmann said Shuffler had marijuana in his system when he drove in excess of 100 miles per hour when he wrecked and rolled the 2020 Dodge Charger he was driving in a 40-mph zone on Louise Avenue last April 13. Schoppman noted one expert estimated Shuffler was driving in excess of 130 mph just seconds before the crash.
Shuffler is the only occupant who was not ejected from the vehicle. Tatum was pronounced dead at the scene while Siri died shortly after she was transported to Kingman Regional Medical Center.
Cobanovich was hospitalized for five days while Feil spent weeks in the hospital and an after-care facility.
Shuffler’s letter to the court is handwritten. It offers apology, expresses remorse, and prays for a fair and just punishment for the unintended tragedy and grievous consequences for his friends and their families.
Shuffler is well aware that the judge has broad discretion in punishment as the plea deal affords the court a three- to 18-year range in prison time to impose.
“The state has charged me as an adult, but I don’t feel like one. I have been doing everything that I know of to learn how to live with these adult challenges,” Shuffler said. “No matter the punishment you give me, it will never take the victim’s pain away for losing their loved ones. I have pain too. I loved them both and will always carry that love with me.”
Shuffler’s parents Anna, a fitness instructor, and Brad, a Battalion Chief and paramedic, are among 53 people who wrote character letters on Brady’s behalf for court consideration. Their communications contain eloquent apologies to the victims and their families, first responders, hospital staff and the greater Kingman community.
Brad Shuffler’s letter also noted the surreal shock of everyone at the accident scene.
“During all of this I saw friends of 35 years in emotional distress,” the defendant’s father said. He expressed hope that victims and others will be able to forgive his son some day.
While defense attorney Brad Rideout submitted a 206-page pre-sentencing memorandum that included the character letters and detailed medical and psychological reports, Schoppmann submitted a 55-page Victim Impact Statement in addition to his sentencing memorandum.
In it, Tatum’s dad Joey Meins, a 21-year veteran of the Kingman Fire Department, speaks to unbridled devastation at the loss of a highly-accomplished daughter just weeks before her 18th birthday, high school graduation and scholarship path to college.
“Every day since then has been a struggle. Nothing feels right. Nothing feels whole,” Meins said. “I try so hard to stay in the moment and be the best husband and father I can be for my wife and boys, but even joyous moments are quickly overcome with guilt, pain and sadness.”
Extended family and grandparents also authored impact statements.
“My husband and myself have a deep emptiness in our hearts that will never be filled,” one grandmother wrote. ?“To lose a loved one at such a tender age, and due to negligence, is something that I can’t really express in words.”
The grief of Siri’s mother Nicole Sieber is also well-articulated.
“Every day we wake up to a world that seems dark without her. She was our sunshine, our joy and the heartbeat of our home, Sieber wrote. “Her dreams, ambitions and the beautiful future we envisioned for her have been snuffed out in the blink of an eye.”
The mother of one of the accident survivors explained that the community, and her family, have been divided by a tragedy that involves so many cross-connected families, LWHS, sports and firefighters.
“All of our emotions and struggles have been overwhelming and has caused many emotional breakdowns, arguments and has put stress on all family relationships in our household,” her letter said.
Nathan Ballard, the Manager of Chili’s where Tatum was employed, said the 56 people who worked with her ache with pain and sorrow. A picture of the shrine they erected in tribute to Tatum accompanies Ballard’s letter, as well as another picture where three co-workers display their tattoos, inked in her honor.
Judge Nicholls has said many who wrote letters will also be able to speak if they wish during the April 15 sentencing hearing. The judge and attorneys have allotted an entire day, with a lunchbreak, for the proceeding.
Dave Hawkins
