Street racer drove 113 mph before crash that killed WSU students. He’s sentenced
A man who killed two Wichita State University students in a November 2023 street-racing crash has been ordered to serve 31 months in prison, court records show.
Ahmed Rateb Juma, 21, was sentenced Wednesday on two counts of involuntary manslaughter in connection with the Nov. 15, 2023, deaths of Carol Chakra and Lian Awadi.
The 19-year-old college students were ejected from Juma’s Lexus GS 350 when he hit a utility pole and rolled the car shortly before 2:30 a.m. in the 6200 block of East Pawnee. Chakra, who fled the war in Syria with family and planned to pursue a career in healthcare, died at the scene; Awadi died at a hospital. Both suffered fatal blunt force trauma, court records say.
Juma and another man, Mohammed Shaafout, were racing on Pawnee near Woodlawn that night, traveling as fast as 113 mph in the seconds before the crash, when Juma lost control at a curve in the road and slammed into the pole, a probable cause affidavit released in the case says. The group of friends was apparently headed to a 24-hour Mexican restaurant at the time, according to the affidavit.
Juma pleaded guilty on Feb. 27 to two counts of involuntary manslaughter.
On Wednesday, Juma’s lawyer asked Sedgwick County District Judge Quentin Pittman to place Juma on probation instead of sending him to prison, saying in a written motion that Juma had “made a poor decision that tragically resulted in the death of two of his friends.” The judge denied the request.
Shaafout is also charged with involuntary manslaughter. His case is pending.
Contributing: Michael Stavola of The Wichita Eagle
