Inset: Laticha Liz Bracero, left, and Alyssa Angel Cordova (Woodlawn Funeral Home). Background: St. Louis police investigate the crash that resulted in the deaths of Bracero and Cordova (WLS).
A 23-year-old man from Missouri is facing over 20 years in prison after he drove 70 mph in a zone designated for 35 mph, causing a multi-car accident that resulted in the deaths of a mother and her daughter after they attended a Drake concert.
Last week, Monte Henderson received a 21-year prison sentence for the deaths of 42-year-old Laticha Liz Bracero and her 21-year-old daughter Alyssa Angel Cordova, according to a statement from the St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office. Henderson admitted guilt in July, pleading guilty to two counts each of involuntary manslaughter and armed criminal activity.
According to prosecutors, Henderson was speeding through downtown St. Louis on February 14, 2024, ignoring several traffic lights and weaving through vehicles until he collided with another car. This car then hit Bracero and Cordova, who were in a crosswalk on their way back to their hotel. He only engaged the brakes two seconds before the crash, police reported. His blood alcohol concentration was 0.194, more than twice the legal threshold.
Hailing from Chicago, Bracero and Cordova traveled to St. Louis to attend the concert. Their memorials described them as “inseparable, sharing a deep connection.”
“The vibrant pair will be cherished for their brilliant smiles, contagious laughter, and the affection they had for each other. They will be profoundly missed by their family and friends,” the obituary noted.
Bracero’s sister wrote in a victim impact statement to the judge that Henderson deserved a stiff punishment because he was being “irresponsible” by getting behind the wheel while intoxicated and has shown “zero remorse.”
“He needs to sit in jail and stare at a wall and think about what he is done,” she wrote. “He is an extremely selfish person and doesn’t belong on the streets to harm anyone else again with his irresponsible actions. He does not deserve holidays with his family or to have his own just like Alyssa & Laticha.”
Oddly enough, Henderson was in the area to pick up his mother and sister who also attended the Drake concert. In a letter to the judge, Henderson’s mother said her son is “not a monster, young thug or the way the media portrays him.”
But prosecutors said punishments for drunk and speeding drivers must be harsh.
“Reckless driving destroys lives. At 70 miles per hour, a car becomes a weapon, and the impact reaches far beyond the crash itself. Nothing can make this right, but this sentence hopefully delivers some solace to the loved ones of Laticha Bracero and Alyssa Cordova,” St. Louis Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore said in a statement. “Two families are grieving today, one for the loss of a mother and daughter and another for the loss of a young man’s future.”
