The family vacation in paradise that became a nightmare when a beautiful teen was killed after a Jet Ski slammed into her. Now that the verdict has been given, the family wants justice. INSIDE EDITION has the report.
Tears of despair come from a mom who said she's been denied justice over the death of her daughter, who was killed in a Jet Ski accident— tragedy that was caught on tape.
That collision, which happened in Hawaii, cost the life of 16-year-old tourist, Kristen Fonseca.
But, the grieving mom is also crying with frustration over the punishment given to the man responsible for her daughter's death—just 12 days behind bars, time he's already served.
20-year-old Tyson Dagley, a tourist from Australia, pleaded guilty to negligent homicide and faced up to a year in jail.
“I’m deeply sorry for what I’ve done,” said Dagley.
Cops said he was speeding on a Jet Ski and posing for his girlfriend, who was filming when disaster struck.
The victim's mom, Evangelina Cantone, wept as she read a heartbreaking poem her daughter wrote about her hopes and dreams when she was just eight years old.
Cantone read, "I wonder if I will ever have kids. I will be a doctor when I grow up."
Dagley sobbed when the mom forgave him in court.
Cantone said, "I forgive you, as I knew it was not your intent to take her life."
But at the same time, she also called for the maximum penalty.
"I am begging you to sentence him to the full year," said Cantone.
Instead, the judge stunned the victim's family with a sentence of 12 days, plus a fine of $78,000.
Cantone said, "It’s a total travesty!"
The victim's stepfather is outraged, he said, “It was basically they are telling us that the equivalent to losing our daughter is the same as a traffic ticket. A slap on the wrist."
