A teenager with a troubled past, who tragically died in a devastating crash involving a vehicle allegedly stolen, is being fondly remembered by his family as a “precious” and “beautiful young man.”
Fourteen-year-old Conroy lost his life when the vehicle he was in collided with a tree on the Calder Highway in Woosang, located 240 kilometers northwest of Melbourne, early Saturday morning.
Conroy was familiar to law enforcement due to his previous run-ins and had been released on bail for several offenses.
His cousins, 18-year-old Dougie, who was behind the wheel, and 14-year-old Deondre, are in critical condition after being rescued from the wreckage and flown to a hospital.
Dougie has suffered the loss of his right leg below the knee, along with broken ribs and a brain bleed, while Deondre remains in intensive care with severe brain injuries.
Authorities believe the ute was stolen from a hotel in Mildura on Friday night and was later used in a fuel theft incident just seven hours before the crash.
Shocking footage also recently emerged of the group of teens hanging out of the windows of the swerving car moments before it hit a tree.
Their bodies were almost entirely outside the ute as friends filmed the stunt.
Conroy, 14, was killed in a horror smash in an allegedly stolen ute over the weekend
He was declared dead at the scene after the allegedly stolen ute he was in smashed into a tree
Conroy’s mother told 7News she doesn’t want her son’s death to be in vain.
‘We’ve tried so hard to keep Conroy on the straight and narrow and to keep him out of trouble,’ Chereeta Wightman said. ‘He was a fun-loving, outgoing, good-spirited kid.
‘(Dougie) will have to live with what he’s done, I feel for him. I feel for all of them.’
Aunty Maryanne Frost added: ‘Yeah they made the wrong choice, but people shouldn’t go judging them… if people actually knew these boys’ story and what they went through growing up, they would understand.’
They also warned other teens to think about their actions.
‘It just takes one little mistake and then your family’s suffering, and we gotta go through the pain of burying you,’ Ms Frost added.
In tributes posted online, Conroy’s family members described him as a ‘beautiful soul’ who loved helping look after their children and putting smiles on people’s faces.
‘I told you the only person in Mildura I had was you Conroy. I told you my babies had no one but you… I told you that no matter what I love you unconditionally. I told you I’ll hold you through thick and thin,’ one woman said.
Conroy’s heartbroken mother Chereeta Wightman (right) said she’d tried to him out of trouble
Two of the teenagers could be seen hanging outside the ute before it crashed
Detective Sergeant Pendrick said detectives were trying to determine how fast the allegedly stolen car had been travelling.
‘There was certainly a high impact with the tree, there’s no doubt about that,’ he said.
‘We look at everything. We’ll look at speed, we’ll look at the road condition, we will look at the manner of driving.’
Reflecting on the tragedy, the detective said crashes like this were a reminder for young people to ‘know there are consequences for their actions’.
‘When you look at incidents like this that are totally devastating, you just plead with those kids that they’re not playing games, there are real consequences,’ he said.
Shadow police minister Brad Battin criticised Jacinta Allan’s Labor government hours after the crash, saying similar incidents were preventable if it took a tougher approach to youth crime.
‘We need to fix the justice system,’ he told the Herald Sun. ‘Releasing young offenders for stealing cars and having unlimited bail not only leaves the community less safe, but we will see more young people die.
‘What will it take for the premier to stand up and say enough is enough? Break bail, face jail. I am sick of a government that simply doesn’t care.’
Detectives are trying to determine how fast the allegedly stolen car had been travelling
An Allan government spokesperson hit back, accusing the opposition of using the tragedy to score political points: ‘Our thoughts are with the young people’s loved ones as they deal with the loss and injury caused by this senseless act.’
He added: ‘Politicising a teenager’s death says everything you need to know about (Victorian Opposition Leader) Jess Wilson, whose first instinct is to send out her conspiracy theory-peddling shadow.
‘There are no easy solutions to youth crime, but community safety comes first, which is why we’ve introduced Adult Time for Violent Crime to deliver serious consequences for repeat offenders.’
The new reforms mean children aged 14 and over now face the adult court system and can receive the same sentences as adults, including life imprisonment in certain cases.
