DEADLY SPEEDER TO GO TO JAIL FAMILY OF TEEN WHO WAS KILLED SAYS SENTENCE IS NOT ENOUGH.

Byline: Karen Maeshiro Staff Writer

LANCASTER - A 20-year-old Palmdale man was sentenced to a year in jail and an additional five years on probation for causing a head-on crash that killed a teenager.

Family members of the victim, 17-year-old Anthony Leano of Palmdale, pleaded with Judge Lisa Chung to give defendant Silvestre Cano a harsher sentence.

``Mr. Cano massacred my boy. He was doing between 80 and 100 miles per hour. ... Anyone driving like that - it's not a simple accident,'' said Leano's mother, Denise Leano. ``If you are a mother or ever loved children, do not give the least sentence under the law. Do not let his death be for nothing.''

``I miss my baby, my son. My heart is broken - all because someone thought it was funny to drive like an idiot,'' she said, sobbing heavily.

The teenager's father, George, also sought a tougher sentence for Cano: ``For me, I want him to rot in jail. No one can replace our son.''

Cano, who George Leano said had not shown any remorse, apologized to the family in the courtroom. He walked over to the victim's parents and said, ``I'm sorry for what you have gone through, especially for the loss of your son. I hope you forgive me one day.''

Cano pleaded no contest - a plea that results in criminal conviction without a trial - on Wednesday to a charge of felony vehicular manslaughter, with gross negligence, after Chung indicated she would consider a maximum two-year prison sentence, citing Cano's age and lack of prior criminal record.

Anthony Leano was on his way to pick up his younger brother from an aunt's house when the 4:30 p.m. collision occurred near Paraclete High School, family members said.

When he never showed up at the aunt's house, family members spent two hours looking for him and calling his cell phone. more than 2 1/2 hours after the crash, they found out that he had died in an operating room at UCLA Medical Center.

Deputy District Attorney Steve Heller said that, if the case had gone to trial and ended in conviction, the ``realistic'' maximum sentence would have been four years. A sentence up to six years would have required proving aggravating factors to a jury, he noted.

Before imposing sentence, Chung gave her condolences to the Leano family members. There is no sentence ``that could fully address the loss you have suffered,'' she told them.

``It's clear that his conduct was grossly negligent. There was clear excessive speeding and unsafe driving that contributed to the tragedy,'' Chung said. ``I do believe he has a measure of remorse. I agree with the family that he could have shown it earlier.''

Chung noted that Cano had been cited for a moving-traffic violation as a juvenile, but he was not on probation or parole when, at the age of 18, he caused the fatal crash.

In addition to the jail term, Chung imposed a prison sentence suspended on condition Cano perform 1,000 hours of community service, participate in a hospital and morgue program usually reserved for drunk drivers, attend traffic school and obey other terms.

The dead teen's mother considered the sentence lenient.

``I feel cheated. Nothing is going to bring my boy back. But a year in jail? And five years probation? He was doing 100 miles per hour on the street. Witnesses saw him laughing. He clipped four cars,'' she said. ``With our system, we will be lucky if he serves six months - and probably less.''

Cano was driving a 2001 Ford Mustang at more than 80 mph on two-lane 30th Street West south of Avenue L-8 on Nov. 18, 2003 when he pulled out to pass other vehicles and slammed head-on into a Ford pickup driven by Anthony Leano. One witness told investigators that he saw Cano laughing as Cano passed him on the road.

On the day of the crash and a week later, Cano falsely told investigators that Leano had crossed over into Cano's lane, attempting to pass a car, and caused the crash, according to a probation officer's report.

Leano's father said Cano's false claims in a traffic report literally made him sick. ``I can't read (the traffic report) without crying or getting sick to my stomach,'' George Leano said.

A probation officer's report said Cano told investigators that he was traveling between 50 and 55 mph. Sheriff's investigators said the evidence showed Cano was driving 93 mph just before the crash and 88 mph at the time of the crash, according to the probation report, and Leano was driving 39 mph.

About 20 family members and friends of the victim attended the sentencing hearing. Some of them wore postage stamp-size pictures of Anthony Leano pinned to their chests.

Relatives described Leano as kind, warm-hearted and respectful of others, regardless of their backgrounds. He and his younger brother would make breakfast and serve their parents in bed, and his goal in life was to become a great chef.

``He always helped anybody who needed help, with his precious, crooked smile and great sense of humor,'' George Leano said.

Karen Maeshiro, [phone]

karen.maeshiro(at)dailynews.com