NORTH FORT MYERS, Fla. — Courtney Gainey, accused of killing Allana Staiano,14 in North Fort Myers in January was released from jail on bond Monday night.
Four month’s after Christine Gray lost her 14-year-old daughter Allana, she’s still understandably grieving. Quite frankly, she said she’s tired of hit and run crashes leaving children dead in Southwest Florida
“[People are] always saying, it’s so sad, but it won’t happen to me. I used to think that, until I had to bury my daughter,” she said.
She said she’s disgusted knowing her daughter’s alleged killer Gainey bailed out of jail.
“Her behavior at a whole is demeaning, and disrespectful, and insulting,” she said, referring to Gainey’s attitude about her daughter’s death. “Not just to me, but to every other person who has to deal with situations like this, because these people don’t accept their responsibility, and get a slap on the wrist and sent on their way.”
Gainey’s charged with two counts of leaving a hit-and-run, one resulting in injuries, the other in Staiano’s death. She faces a maximum sentence of 35 years in prison.
Veteran attorney Pam Seay said it’s too early to determine whether or not Gainey will be convicted and sentenced.
“Just judging from the outside it looks like there are a lot of circumstances in this particular case that would lend themselves towards more of a maximum,” she said.
But Seay said she wouldn’t go easy in Gainey if the decision were up to her.
“As a prosecutor, I would certainly be seeking the maximum in this particular case,” said Seay.
She added other circumstances will affected the outcome of Gainey’s criminal trial.
“If she showed a pattern of poor behavior behind the wheel, yes, that’s going to enhance the penalty for this,” she said.
Among other crimes, Gainey was also cited last year for speeding in Cape Coral. According to court documents, she was driving 96 miles per hour in a 55 mph zone.
Gray also said she’d like to change laws around holding hit-and-run drivers accountable. She said she would not be open to discussing a plea deal for the suspect. Gainey is due back in court Wednesday at 1:30 p.m.
