Jun 29, 2007 6:19 pm US/Eastern
MySpace Photos Cost N.H. Teen Plea Deal
NASHUA (WBZ) ―
Photographs on a teenager's Myspace.com page prompted a prosecutor to pull a plea deal that would have kept the boy out of jail for a fatal car crash last summer.
The photos show 17-year-old Michael Munoz Ramirez, of Hudson, apparently taking part in an underage drinking party.
Police said that Ramirez caused a collision last July that killed his friend, 16-year-old Nathan Hergenhahn. Ramirez appeared in court yesterday to have a plea bargain approved, but prosecutors withdrew the deal because of photos the victim's family found online.
The plea bargain had been supported by Hergenhahn's family, who said they were convinced that Ramirez was remorseful about the collision. Police said Ramirez was speeding when he struck a Ford Explorer in Hudson.
"It's incomprehensible," Assistant Hillsborough County Attorney Justin Shepherd told the Nashua Telegraph. "Why he would post those pictures is just incomprehensible."
It's not clear when or where the photos were taken, but they reportedly show Munoz and other teens at a party. One photo shows Munoz preparing a "beer funnel."
"I know a lot of kids do it (drink), but a lot of kids didn't kill my son," Patricia Cyr told the newspaper Thursday.
Ramirez was charged with two counts of vehicular assault and would have received a suspended sentence with substantial community service under the plea agreement.
(© 2007 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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